Quinton’s story, as told by his Mom, Nikki, at the 2025 Polar Bear Dip.
My name is Nikki. My husband and our sons took part in the Dip today. My husband Jim has been participating in the Childcan Polar Bear Dip for 8 years now. I have never dipped myself. However, I often say, if he is brave enough to go into those frigid waters every year then I would be brave enough to stand up here one day and speak in front of this large audience about the unbelievable organization that you are all here to support today.
Childcan came into our family’s lives on December 22nd, 2015. You are probably curious as to how I remember that specific date. It’s the exact date our 4 month old son was diagnosed with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
We had just moved to the London area a few months prior. At the time we had never heard of Children’s Hospital not to mention Childcan. We had been rushed by ambulance from our small town because of our son’s worsening condition and the inability to treat him at a smaller facility. On arrival the nurses and doctors worked vigorously to get IV fluids into him to help combat his severe and almost fatal dehydration. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to witness these lifesaving efforts. All we could do was watch and pray that they would finally be able to get an essential intravenous line into his tiny body. After almost an hour of pokes and failed attempts they were successful and our son was finally able to get the fluid his little body was in such desperate need of.
After hearing about the symptoms presented over the past few weeks, irritability, loss of appetite, excessive sleeping, and eventually an elevated fever that would not subside with antibiotics, it was decided that a complete blood count needed to be performed. Sometime after we were escorted to a room by an attending physician. It was then he told us that the blood work confirmed our precious infant son was suffering from some form of leukemia.
The rest of that night was filled with a tornado of emotions. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. It was like watching someone else receive this news for the first time. Unable to talk, breathe, or make any sense of the words we were hearing, all my husband and I could do was sit and listen as the doctor explained to us what the next several days would entail.
Because our son was so very sick, we were transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where he would be monitored closely for the next 72 hours. We waited by his bedside as he was cared for. Praying that he would be strong enough to survive the night. I remember at one point calling my mom. We talked briefly on the phone, and then trying to hold my emotions together I ended the call and went back to my son’s room. About an hour after that call I was told by one of the nurses that someone was here to see me in the waiting room. My mom lived over 2 hours from the hospital, but even so, for the briefest moment I thought that she was there to hug me and to tell me that everything would be okay. When I entered the waiting room I didn’t see my mom, a complete stranger was there to greet me. She had a warm and caring smile and when she introduced herself and started to speak I instantly felt an undeniable feeling of support, compassion and understanding. She told me she was a Family Liaison from an organization called Childcan. Childcan, I learned, was unique to the London area. I remember hearing the words “We are here to support you.” “We help families who have children that have been diagnosed with cancer.” Words I was still struggling to come to terms with at that moment. She left me with her card and an envelope (which I later found included vouchers for the hospital cafeteria) and told me that she would be back the next day to check on us. It was a simple gesture, but in that moment that kindness and understanding was all that was needed to break the dam of emotions that I was holding back for hours.
In the days that followed, our lives changed very quickly. Our son underwent surgery to implant a central line. He regained his strength with medication and hydration and was eventually moved to the Oncology ward to begin his treatment. Because he was too vulnerable to leave, our son would need to stay in the hospital for the foreseeable future. My husband shared the care of our other two children with our parents and spent the reminder of time at the hospital with us. I would be living in the hospital room with our son for the next 3 months. During that time, Childcan provided food vouchers regularly. They were such a welcomed financial support as the constant trips to the cafeteria were adding up quickly. Since my husband was often driving back and forth from home to the hospital, Childcan issued us a parking pass to eliminate that additional cost for us. Eventually it was necessary for my husband to take a leave from work. The bills at home started to mount. Childcan offered some financial support to help pay a few of those household bills which helped to alleviate additional emotional stress.
Our son’s treatment officially came to an end in December 2017. 2 years after he was first diagnosed. Due to his specific type of leukemia, it was important for us to visit the hospital regularly for blood work to make sure that everything was behaving as it should. Childcan’s parking pass continued to be a welcomed commodity during those frequent trips. In July 2018, our son’s bloodwork revealed that his cancer had come back, and we were thrown into an emotional rollercoaster once again.
Through that dark time in our lives, Childcan was there. Not only were we supported directly with meal and parking vouchers, we later found out that Childcan helped to provide the research funding for one of the treatment plans our son received. To this day we are forever grateful that he had a chance to receive this new and innovative treatment. We were moved to Toronto for 2 months so he could undergo a bone marrow transplant. Childcan helped to cover the cost of parking during that time. When we returned home from his treatments, it was necessary for us to return to Toronto for follow up appointments, Childcan also helped to pay for our hotel stays during those visits.
Our son has now been cancer free since November 2018. Childcan will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Not only does this amazing organization help to offset the incredible cost associated with having a child in treatment, it provides funding towards important pediatric cancer research, programming for patients in and off treatment, offers social supports; like the annual Christmas party hosted at a beautiful London venue so children experiencing the pain of treatment can feel like a prince or princess for the day. Childcan also enlists so many essential volunteers that provide direct support to families through tutoring, family activities and fundraising events such as today’s Dip. And to top it off, one of the most essential services Childcan provides is the emotional support families are in need of when faced with transformative circumstances tied to caring for a child with a life threatening illness.
Today we are here to celebrate our boy’s second time braving the icy waters. We will never take these moments for granted as we know first-hand how precious life can be. We will forever be grateful for the support we have received through this amazing organization. Please remember today, when you support Childcan, you are not only supporting the bravest little people you will ever meet; You are supporting those families who are there right alongside them. Cheering them on, loving them unconditionally and tirelessly, and helping to lift their spirits high each and every day so they will be ready to fight on that battlefield.
Thank you.
Thank you Nikki for speaking so bravely and so beautifully, inspiring every person in the room, and now, many more, by sharing Quinton’s story.
