In seven short years, Charlie Fernandez, an elementary student in Colonie, built quite a legacy.

“She taught me more than I could ever teach her," said Fernandez’s former teacher Sarah Norton. "She taught me how to be brave. She taught me how to be strong. And no matter what, she had a smile on her face.”

Even at the age of 5, when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that would eventually steal her eyesight — and then her life — last spring.

She always had her eyes set on Saddlewood Elementary School’s playground.

“One day, she’s like, 'Mrs. Norton, I want to go to the slide.' I’m like, 'the little one?' 'No the big one,'” Norton recalled. “I climbed up with her. She had the biggest smile, waving. She couldn’t see.”


What You Need To Know

  • Charlie Fernandez was 5 when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma

  • The cancer stole Charlie’s eyesight and cut her life short at age 7 

  • Charlie’s friends, teachers and parents are working to build an all-abilities playground in her honor

It was a stressful moment for Norton, but a successful trip down the slide. It’s stories like this that inspired Norton and Fernandez’s family to build an all-abilities playground in her honor.

“We wanted to have a playground where everyone could play,” said Charlie's father Jason. “Whether you’re visually impaired, or if you’re in a wheelchair.”

So the Fernandez family and Norton connected with the Where Angels Play Foundation, a group formed by a New Jersey firefighter after Sept. 11, 2001. Its building of memorial playgrounds is inspired by tragedies like the Sandy Hook school shooting.

“The idea is hope and recovery, and give kids the reason to smile again,” said Jason Plourd. “More importantly, give the kids and families the chance to do what they should be doing.”

The project, which is expected to be complete in 2023, is already gaining support from the community.

“It’s going to have so many tactile elements included,” Norton explained. “So even if a child can’t see, or perhaps they’re on the spectrum and they want more tactile activity, sensory activity, that will all be included in this playground.”

They believe it’ll help solidify Charlie’s legacy at Saddlewood.

“She never liked the attention,” Jason Fernandez said. “But I’m sure she’d love the playground.”