Tragedy struck in March of 2012 when Chief Warrant Officer 2 Edward Duane Cantrell charged into his burning home to rescue his two young daughters, Isabella and Natalia. Chief Cantrell's military career was distinguished by bravery, and so were the final moments of his life when the house fire claimed all three lives.
"I was a wife and mother and in seconds I was nothing," explained Louise Cantrell. She was devastated by the sudden loss of her family, even as the Special Forces community and neighbors rallied around her in those moments.
A personal turning point came for Louise a year and a half later when she attended a retreat for the families of fallen service members called Leap of Faith, which included an optional tandem skydive.
"After her tandem jump, she was smiling and jumping around," said Mike Elliot who is the President of the All-Veteran Group. “She told me she felt like she could stop a freight train with her bare hands." The event inspired her to create the Dancing Angels Foundation to honor the memory of her daughters, Natalia and Isabella.
The Dancing Angels Foundation awards scholarships to dangers to help them attend instruction at prestigious intensive dance programs. The foundation has helped Louise turn her grief into something else, a vehicle to uplift others while remembering her daughter's name.
"I’m just a mom making sure the world knows how amazing my girls were," said Louise. "How beautiful, loving and giving my girls were, and how much they loved to dance. And as beautiful as they were on the outside, they were one hundred times over as beautiful on the inside. Doing this and giving back is something I strive to do in their honor."