A herd of dinosaurs makes surprise appearances around Fairbanks regularly, spreading dinosaur joy everywhere they go. So it was a surprise to learn that the Fairbanks Dinosaurs group was actually born from grief.

It all started just before the Covid-19 pandemic when Dorrie Breese’s adult daughter Ashlee was diagnosed with cancer.

“This is the truth,” said the resident of Two Rivers. “It all began with her.”

Ashlee was a single parent. Breese devoted her life to caring for her daughter and grandson. She accompanied Ashlee to chemotherapy several times a week.

“We went to chemo together, we would sit for eight hours and try to find crafts and fun things to do,” she said. “We started painting rocks together.”

Then Covid hit and Breese was no longer allowed to sit with her daughter during

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