Kids Candidly Fall Newsletter 2022

IMPROVING EDUCATION FOR LIFE

CEO message

“When children are free to play, they play naturally at the ever-advancing edges of their mental and physical abilities.” — Peter Gray, Ph.D. How wonderful it was to see children at camp this summer — playing, learning, growing.

As they return to school, it comforts me to know that the memories and friendships of summer will sustain them on their journey.

When we first established Kids Cancer Care, we developed a holistic mission to help children affected by cancer survive and thrive in body, mind, and spirit. Thanks to you, we are achieving this. Your support helps kids to strengthen their bodies through play and physical activity at camp and PEER.* It helps them to develop their minds through educational programs. And all of this nourishes their young spirits. Every child has different edges and limits. Different gifts. Our mission is to nurture the whole child regardless of limits and abilities, so they may reach their unique potential.

I hope you can see how you are helping kids to survive and thrive in body, mind, and spirit in our Back-to-School Issue. I see you in every story we share. Thank you for your generous support.

Sincerely,

Christine McIver, M.S.M., LLD (Hon), CFRE Founder and Chief Executive Officer

When Scarlett’s parents first noticed that she waddled like a pregnant woman, they weren’t overly concerned. They assumed she would outgrow it. But they took her to a chiropractor just in case. When the chiropractor felt a large, firm mass under her ribcage, everything changed.

The next day, Scarlett and her mother Amy were at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. An X-ray, ultrasound, and CT scan revealed that a 10 x 14 x 7 cm tumour was the cause of her waddle.

Scarlett underwent chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and an eighthour surgery to remove it.

With regular monitoring, physiotherapy, and therapeutic exercise, she is now on the road to recovery. Thanks to you, Scarlett could safely exercise at our PEER* program.

PEER is an evidence-based therapeutic exercise program developed by health researchers at the University of Calgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital. It is designed to help kids like Scarlett stay active and manage the side effects of cancer treatments.

Working one-to-one with our Ph.D. exercise specialist, Scarlett is steadily improving her gait, balance, and flexibility. Your support is also helping her to restore her confidence and make new friends during PEER group sessions.

Amy is seeing a big difference in her daughter: “Scarlett is more mobile and doesn’t waddle anymore. She is more coordinated and can squat easily. She can hop and balance on one foot and has more range of motion now. When we saw our physiotherapist two months later, she was shocked. Pretty much everything had been corrected.”

Thanks to your generous support, our PEER exercise specialist Carolina Chamorro-Vina, Ph.D., integrates the latest research into the program. Collaborating with researchers around the globe through the International Pediatric Oncology Exercise Guidelines (iPOEG), Carolina is helping to measure the efficacy of health-related fitness and exercise to establish best practices for children affected by cancer.

As a Ph.D. researcher working in the community, Carolina feels privileged to see the direct impact of new research at PEER: “What I find most exciting is regularly applying new knowledge from the latest research into my clinical practice. PEER is literally research in action.”

Thank you for helping kids like Scarlett regain their mobility on their cancer journey. Special thanks to the Calgary Flames Foundation for making our evidence-based exercise program possible.

Don Molyneaux Photography

“Working one-to-one with Carolina is exactly what Scarlett needed to learn how to properly move her body after having a large two-pound tumour removed.”— Amy

you're helping kids manage the side effects of cancer through therapeutic exercise.

*Pediatric Oncology Patients and Survivors Engaging in Exercise for Recovery

Scarlett at PEER

education support

Iqra Rahamatullah is looking forward to a bright future in medicine, but a few short years ago, her future wasn’t quite as certain. In grade 11, Iqra was living one day at a time, managing treatments for Ewing sarcoma and juggling the demands of high school.

“I was not feeling well,” says Iqra. “I was taking a lot of days off school, dealing with a lot of symptoms like brain fog, memory impairment, and fatigue. I had a lot of obstacles that the usual student doesn’t have, and I felt like it really put me back.”

While Iqra’s experience is common for youth affected by cancer, many do not have such a bright future.

“Young cancer survivors have lower educational outcomes and are not employed at the same rates as their peers. We need to support them in improving that,” says Dr. Fiona Schulte, Ph.D., associate professor and researcher at the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. “All too often our idea is that when kids finish their cancer treatments, the hard part is done. But for many, the hardest parts are still to come.”

Also a registered psychologist with the Hematology, Oncology, and Transplant program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Fiona recently co-chaired a multidisciplinary international task force to develop global recommendations

for the surveillance of education and employment outcomes of young cancer survivors. Published in the journal Cancer, the international guidelines recommend that all survivors receive regular screening for educational and employment outcomes, like the regular physical screening they receive as cancer survivors. The goal is to better support them, so they don’t fall behind their peers.

“Educational achievement and employment outcomes are critical indicators of quality of life in survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer,” says Fiona. “We now have a clinical practice guideline with internationally harmonized recommendations for surveillance of education and employment in survivors diagnosed before 30 years of age, which can improve their quality of life.”

Kids Cancer Care’s educational programs were developed with these issues in mind: “The intention behind everything we do is to help children survive and thrive in body, mind, and spirit,” says Christine McIver, founder, and CEO of Kids Cancer Care. “We know that radiation and chemotherapy can compromise kids’ cognitive function, so we want to support them in their education.

“Educational achievement and employment outcomes are critical indicators of quality of life.”— Dr. Fiona Schulte

you're helping create brighter futures for kids affected by cancer.

Iqra Rahamatullah

Dr. Fiona Schulte

Cont. on page 4

to help

ways you can help

BE A MONTHLY DONOR

You can be a superhero in the life of a child with cancer. Your monthly gifts will add up over time and make a lasting impact.

GIVE AT CHRISTMAS

As the season of giving approaches, we’re inviting you to make a gift on Giving Tuesday or at Christmas Your Christmas gift to a child with cancer will support them throughout the year.

VOLUNTEER TODAY

Give the gift of time. Tutors. Camp counsellors. One-to-one aides. Event and office volunteers. We have a volunteer role just for you!

ROCK YOUR LOCKS

Rock Your Locks on November 5, 2022. Join our community Big Brave event and cut, colour, or shave your lid for a kid while raising funds for our essential programs.

CREATE YOUR LEGACY

Creating your legacy is easy and there’s an option that’s right for everyone. Ask us about our Free Wills Program and for a copy of our Legacy Giving brochure today.

education support

Cont. from page 3

We recognize the need for interventions and developed our educational programs in response to this.”

Iqra can attest to the need for support.

“I had a lot of family and school support available and was able to get the grades I needed, but without that support, I feel like things could have gone wrong for me.”

Thanks to your generous support, our Education Support team can focus on building strong relationships between tutors and learners. This provides a safe space where kids are not only supported in subject matter and learning skills but also in building confidence and a sense of belonging.

“The magic here is bringing together one-toone personalized, targeted learning support that goes beyond specific educational metrics and builds skills that kids can carry back into the classroom and into their personal lives,” says Leslie Friesen, education support specialist at Kids Cancer Care.

Our Education Support Program is presented in memory of Steven Fowler who loved school and loved learning. We are deeply grateful to the Fowler family and all our generous donors who support our education program. Together, we are improving education outcomes and creating brighter futures for young people affected by cancer.

“I feel like things could have gone wrong for me.”

Iqra