When the summer of 2018 rolled around, Jenny, Mike and their daughter Harper were preparing for their little family to grow. Expecting a baby at the end of the year, they couldn't imagine what was to come. Instead of beach days, walks to the park, and nights spent playing in the backyard, summer brought a nightmare for the family.
In June, Harper, the soon-to-be big sister, began feeling sick. After having some trouble walking, Jenny and Mike brought her to their family doctor. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. After being unable to shake what doctors thought was a viral infection, Harper was referred to the children’s hospital in London. “She just wasn’t getting better, so she was referred to the children’s hospital in June. That is when they found the tumour,” says Jenny.
Harper, at just two and a half years old, was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, brain cancer. By the end of July, the tumour had been removed, and she was preparing for chemotherapy.
“People don’t spend a lot of time thinking about pediatric cancer. You think it is rare until you experience it, and then you quickly realize it isn’t rare at all,” says Mike. That is why the work that Childcan does is absolutely critical and so unique. When other people aren’t thinking about childhood cancer, it is Childcan’s entire focus.
“We didn’t even know that anything like Childcan existed,” explained Jenny, “but days after her diagnosis and surgery, we got the call from Renee.” Renee and Childcan were there to help provide everything from meal vouchers to support services. But, most importantly, they were the voice of an experienced friend who had been through the battle that Jenny and Mike were going through.
When your child is fighting childhood cancer, as a parent, you need to be in their corner continuously, and Childcan helps make that easier. “You need to put all of your fears and emotions aside, and that is tough. You can’t be emotional in front of them because they need you; kids need a safe place to go, and that is you,” says Jenny.
There was a long journey ahead for Harper. At the end of the summer, doctors moved her to SickKids in Toronto for more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. But, with Childcan’s help, Jenny and Mike were able to be the advocates and voice of strength that Harper needed. Supported by the positivity of Childcan, the family kept fighting.
Harper overcame cancer in December and was able to be back at home for a very special Christmas - a Christmas with presents for two children under the tree. Two years after her diagnosis, Harper is a healthy, energetic, soccer-playing, Disney-loving big sister. Her entire family remains grateful for the indescribable level of support, positivity, and help Childcan provided them.