By Clay LePard
clepard@cbs4qc.com
It was an unforgettable trip home Saturday for one Bettendorf girl.
The fight against cancer is over for Charly Erpelding.
Back in May, Charly was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare cancer found in the bones. She had three ribs removed in August and today, after nine long months filled with chemotherapy and trips to the hospital, Charly is cancer free.
Hundreds filled the streets, eagerly waiting to see nine-year-old Charly return from her last chemotherapy treatment.
"It's unbelievable," says Heidi Behning, Charly's aunt. "I've been a wreck all day. It's so emotional; it's amazing."
"Just makes me really happy because I'm just glad its over," says Carley Behning.
For the past several months, the community has rallied behind Charly; even selling more than 3,000 "Cheering for Charly" T-shirts.
Family members say Charly has been an inspiration for us all.
"She's been so strong through the last nine months fighting cancer and she won and we just want her to know we're proud of her and she's our hero," says Terrie Stald, Charly's aunt.
And then the moment came: with firefighters and a police escort, Charly came home, leaving her cancer behind.
"It's everything we hoped for and ten times more," Behning adds.
"I was very surprised," says Charly. "It's a huge deal to me."
As she soaked in all in, Charly say's she'll never forget this victory celebration.
"It was super fun and cold," she adds.
Even though the battle is over, Charly will still have routine checkups and full body scans over the next couple of months.
