A Tribute to Tanya

Tanya D. Anderson, an outgoing 9-year-old member of Chapel in the Pines in Twain Harte, died at her Big Hill home Monday of rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer.

"She did not lose her battle with cancer." said her mother, Arleen Anderson of Big Hill. "She loved the Lord more than anything. She is the victor."

Tanya was born in Las Vegas and moved with her family to Tuolumne County in 1992. She was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the move, when she was 5 years old. She underwent several sessions of chemotherapy and radiation over the past five years and also received an experimental bone marrow transplant in 1994 at Stanford Medical Center, where she set a record for the earliest release after that type of surgery.

Through it all, her family said, she was a healthy, happy child despite the cancer.

She was home-schooled by her mother through the Cornerstone Christian School and was active with her church where she enjoyed dancing with other children. Her mother said she "danced" her way to heaven. She was baptized seven days before her death. She and her mother also went on a Youth With a Mission trip through their church, presenting the Gospel throughout California.

Tanya loved cats - her cat was named T.C. for "Tanya's Cat" - and she enjoyed singing and playing the piano. She played "Moonlight Sonata" at a piano recital just two weeks before she passed away.

She was well traveled, having been to Disneyworld, to a dude ranch in Colorado and on a cruise. She was also able to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios, courtesy of the Make a Wish Foundation.

"She was always cheerful," her mother said. "She touched so many lives."