Battle with leukemia, detailed on family website, comes to end for Henderson teenager Roe

Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 9:36 a.m.

He had wanted to be a doctor since he was 5 years old.

But after being diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia 10 months ago, Christopher Roe just wanted to make it to his 16th birthday and to celebrate with his family.

He made it by 25 minutes.

Roe, a Henderson teenager known by many as a gentle soul, died Tuesday -- his 16th birthday -- from complications of leukemia.

At 12:15 a.m. Roe's father looked at him and said, "Chris, you made your birthday," and Roe smiled. He died 10 minutes later surrounded by his parents, his sister and his grandmothers.

A memorial service will be noon Saturday at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave.

Despite the struggles the family went through this past year with the insurance company and the intense pain Roe experienced from extensive chemotherapy -- one treatment lasting 28 days -- Christopher Roe remained calm and strong, his father, Tom Roe, said.

"He never complained, he never asked anybody why," his father said. "For somebody who was 15 years old, he had an unbelievable attitude. It was like he was an old soul."

Many may know of Roe from the website his 18-year-old sister, Katie Roe, created last summer that has had nearly 2,000 hits and scores of letters and messages sent via electronic mail to Roe and his family.

Updates, written as journal entries during October, recorded his radiation treatments, medical conditions and visits from friends and church members.

Childhood photos, recent photos of Roe and his grandmothers, with whom he was close, photos of Roe at Disneyland and Roe with his sister and parents can be found on the website.

Born Oct. 12, 1983, Roe was a student at Basic High School and a lifelong member of Community Lutheran Church. He was diagnosed in January 1999. Although he was considered an early responder to treatment, Roe relapsed in May.

His close friend, Michael Kostak, was with Roe until nearly the end, his father said. He even joined them on the trip to Disneyland.

Rob Zahn, director of youth services at Community Lutheran Church, first met Roe on a two-week choir tour one year ago last June. He remembers Roe as a popular, outgoing and well adjusted teenager, "far more mature than most teens and very spiritual."

Zahn saw him again two weeks ago at the hospital.

"He was lively, energetic, still laughing and reminiscing about the choir tour," Zahn said.

Roe told Zahn that the tour was one of the best memories of his life. The two-week tour took the choir members through the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado and Minnesota, his father said.

A special candlelight prayer service was held at the senior high youth group meeting Tuesday evening at Community Lutheran Church.

Roe's interests included baseball, computers, bowling, electronic games and professional wrestling.

"He loved baseball," Tom Roe said. "He played for parks and rec and Little League. He thought about trying out for Basic's team."

He also played the viola and loved tortoises, his father said.

In addition to his father and sister, Roe is survived by his mother, Sue Roe, and his grandmothers, Clarice Svitak of Mora, Minn., and Ruth Schreifels of St. Cloud, Minn.

The family requests donations be made to the Candlelighters of Southern Nevada and the Ronald McDonald House.

Arrangements were handled by Davis Paradise Valley Funeral Home.