Kids Candidly Holiday Issue 2023

ways you can help

how to help

during the holiday season GIVE MONTHLY

DONATE

You can be a superhero in the life of a child with cancer by joining our League of Superheroes Monthly Giving Club. Monthly gifts add up over time and make a lasting impact.

If you make your year-end gift on or before November 28 for Giving Tuesday, your donation will be tripled matched, creating three times the impact for kids like Luca.

CYCLE

YOUR GIFTS AT WORK, TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER HOLIDAY ISSUE — 2023

kidscancercare.ab.ca

BE BRAVE CREATE YOUR LEGACY Show moral

Join us for the Ride of Courage, support for July 12 to 14. children who lose A premier alltheir hair during inclusive, 3-day chemo and cut, cycling event. colour or shave Cycle by day and your lid for a recover around the kid. Raise funds campfire by night for our essential at Camp Kindle. programs.

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

Donate, register or learn more at kidscancercare.ab.ca today.

healing made possible by you Cont. from page 3

Luca navigating the ropes course at Camp Kindle

Natalia and Michael both help with Luca’s care. “They have grown into such caring and compassionate people,” says Amber.

Still, they’re only kids themselves and sometimes they need a break too. Thanks to your support, Luca and his siblings get a break each summer at Camp Kindle.

“I have found lifelong friendships with people who truly understand me, and what my family has been through,” says Natalia. “We are so lucky to have a place to leave our stories and create new ones, away from the hospital.”

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta 5757 4 Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 1K8

kidscancercare.ab.ca

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta is a registered Canadian charity #89940 9171 RR0001.

Michael agrees: “This camp is a big part of my life, through the friends I make every year, or the things I do every year. Camp really helps my brother Luca in so many ways. When I watch him trying new things, and making friends, it puts a smile on my face and a very big smile on his.

I’m so, so thankful for what camp has helped him with. It has helped him bring out his real self.”

As the Stamile kids suggest, camp isn’t only about fun and adventure. It helps kids affected by cancer build skills, friendships and the emotional resilience that is so essential to their mental and physical well-being.

Luca with his brother Michael before heading to Camp Kindle

Childhood cancer survivors are 57% more likely to struggle with depression and 27% more likely to struggle with anxiety.* Luca is no exception. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD and struggles with depression and anxiety.

Being at camp, seeing old friends, making new friends, and simply enjoying a sweet slice of normal helps all the Stamile kids.

“I love camp,“ says Luca. “I love everything about it, the activities, the friendships, the counsellors. My dream is to be a camp counsellor one day.”

Thank you for giving children affected by cancer a childhood and a chance to build the skills and resilience they need for a better future. * Lee, A., Low, C., Yau, C. et. al. (2023, June 22). “Lifetime Burden of Psychological Symptoms, Disorders, and Suicide Due to Cancer in Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/.

YOU’RE GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CANCER A BETTER CHILDHOOD AND FUTURE

healing made possible by you

Unique Perspectives Photography

CEO message

Happy Holidays!

As 2023 draws to a close, I am reminded of all the good we have achieved together.

I am moved by your commitment to children impacted by cancer — the volunteer hours and financial gifts you so generously shared, the Can Do fundraising events you kindly planned, and the funds you raised to make our work possible.

I am inspired by the courage of the children and families we serve. The way you continue to thrive in the face of adversity motivates us to do more.

I hope this Christmas season offers you time to reflect on the many magical moments you created this year for children. Luca’s story illustrates the vitality and strength of our shared community and how essential it is in the lives of young people battling cancer.

Thank you for bringing hope to families during the holiday season and throughout the year. Wishing you peace and joy at Christmas!

Your generosity is restoring childhoods interrupted by cancer

When Amber’s youngest son Michael asked, “When will I get my cancer Mom?” she knew their household was anything but normal.

Michael was only two when his big brother Luca was diagnosed with brain cancer. Michael didn’t know anything else; he figured everyone got cancer and his time was coming. Their older sister Natalia was six and she understood more, but seeing Luca, her best friend, battle cancer and its lasting fallout was tough on her.

A child’s cancer will do that to a family.

It disrupts childhoods and turns lives upside down. In Luca’s case, cancer just kept taking. Thank goodness you were here, helping Luca and his family rebuild their lives during their cancer journey and beyond.

A diagnosis that changed everything

As a toddler, Luca showed signs of exceptional intelligence. He started speaking early and acquired a massive vocabulary. Luca’s doctor was sure he was gifted, which floored his mother Amber, “He’s only eight months old, how can you possibly know that?”

Following an eight-hour brain surgery, which didn’t go well, “Luca spent the next week in intensive care in a kind of pain I didn’t even know existed,” says Amber.

While the other kids were playing outdoors, two-year-old Luca spent hours at the computer, exploring sites on volcanoes. By age four, he was asking his mother about university. Eventually, Luca’s parents Amber and Ernesto enrolled him in a school for gifted children.

Stem cell transplants are high-risk procedures that demand extreme isolation and round-the-clock care. It is a major commitment for the family.

Destroying cancer cells with high-dose chemo, it essentially takes the child up to death’s door before rebuilding with healthy cells. Luca had three stem cell transplants. “He threw up all day, every day, for seven months,” says Amber.

Then everything changed.

After months of dizziness, nausea and weight loss, Luca was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer.

He endured six rounds of highdose chemotherapy, interspersed with three stem cell transplants.

Shortly after his last chemo treatment, Luca relapsed and he went through it all over again. By the time he finished the second protocol, his little body was completely spent.

With warmth and gratitude,

You're helping kids survive and thrive — in body, mind and spirit through exercise With your generosity, Luca was able to attend our PEER exercise program to regain his energy and rebuild his strength and balance. To this day, “Just as we figure out a he still fatigues easily, but problem, a new one, “Exercise helps,” says Amber. or a few more, pop up.

“PEER was instrumental in getting him back to school — Amber and normal again.”

Although Luca’s treatments finished over a decade ago, his cancer journey is far from over.

“Just as we figure out a problem, a new one, or a few more, pop up,” says Amber. “We still see specialists every three months. I don’t think we’ll ever graduate to annual follow-ups because his health is just too complicated.”

After chemotherapy, Luca’s family travelled to Houston, Texas, where he received proton radiation at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre. The hope was that the proton therapy would be less damaging to his brain.

Christine McIver, M.S.M., LLD (Hon), CFRE Founder and Chief Executive Officer PS. During the holiday season, please consider making a year-end gift.

Donations made by November 28, will be tripled by generous donors, multiplying its value and impact.

“Think like a proton: stay positive” reads Luca’s shirt

Luca during treatment and shortly after surgery

Luca has regular tutoring sessions with MacKenzie

through tutoring Sadly, that wasn’t the case. The radiation did damage Luca’s brain and he now requires a full-time aide at school. “He went from being gifted and ahead of his peers to falling behind,” says Amber.

Thanks to your generosity, Luca receives support from a tutor who understands cancer-related learning challenges. “He loves Mackenzie,” says Amber. “I can hear him laughing and having fun during their sessions.

It’s helped reduce my stress and I didn’t have to educate Mackenzie about all his late effects because Kids Cancer Care does that.”

through camp The gap between Luca and his peers grows wider each year and he sees it. He requires constant care and will never be able to live independently.

After six years of daily growth hormone injections, Luca recently learned that his growth plates have fused, and he has stopped growing.

He will be five feet forever. His hair never grew in completely and he’s had double cataract surgery.

“People stare,” says Amber, “not from malice but from concern. They wonder what happened to him.”

Cont. on page 4

healing made possible by you

Unique Perspectives Photography

CEO message

Happy Holidays!

As 2023 draws to a close, I am reminded of all the good we have achieved together.

I am moved by your commitment to children impacted by cancer — the volunteer hours and financial gifts you so generously shared, the Can Do fundraising events you kindly planned, and the funds you raised to make our work possible.

I am inspired by the courage of the children and families we serve. The way you continue to thrive in the face of adversity motivates us to do more.

I hope this Christmas season offers you time to reflect on the many magical moments you created this year for children. Luca’s story illustrates the vitality and strength of our shared community and how essential it is in the lives of young people battling cancer.

Thank you for bringing hope to families during the holiday season and throughout the year. Wishing you peace and joy at Christmas!

Your generosity is restoring childhoods interrupted by cancer

When Amber’s youngest son Michael asked, “When will I get my cancer Mom?” she knew their household was anything but normal.

Michael was only two when his big brother Luca was diagnosed with brain cancer. Michael didn’t know anything else; he figured everyone got cancer and his time was coming. Their older sister Natalia was six and she understood more, but seeing Luca, her best friend, battle cancer and its lasting fallout was tough on her.

A child’s cancer will do that to a family.

It disrupts childhoods and turns lives upside down. In Luca’s case, cancer just kept taking. Thank goodness you were here, helping Luca and his family rebuild their lives during their cancer journey and beyond.

A diagnosis that changed everything

As a toddler, Luca showed signs of exceptional intelligence. He started speaking early and acquired a massive vocabulary. Luca’s doctor was sure he was gifted, which floored his mother Amber, “He’s only eight months old, how can you possibly know that?”

Following an eight-hour brain surgery, which didn’t go well, “Luca spent the next week in intensive care in a kind of pain I didn’t even know existed,” says Amber.

While the other kids were playing outdoors, two-year-old Luca spent hours at the computer, exploring sites on volcanoes. By age four, he was asking his mother about university. Eventually, Luca’s parents Amber and Ernesto enrolled him in a school for gifted children.

Stem cell transplants are high-risk procedures that demand extreme isolation and round-the-clock care. It is a major commitment for the family.

Destroying cancer cells with high-dose chemo, it essentially takes the child up to death’s door before rebuilding with healthy cells. Luca had three stem cell transplants. “He threw up all day, every day, for seven months,” says Amber.

Then everything changed.

After months of dizziness, nausea and weight loss, Luca was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblastoma, a highly aggressive brain cancer.

He endured six rounds of highdose chemotherapy, interspersed with three stem cell transplants.

Shortly after his last chemo treatment, Luca relapsed and he went through it all over again. By the time he finished the second protocol, his little body was completely spent.

With warmth and gratitude,

You're helping kids survive and thrive — in body, mind and spirit through exercise With your generosity, Luca was able to attend our PEER exercise program to regain his energy and rebuild his strength and balance. To this day, “Just as we figure out a he still fatigues easily, but problem, a new one, “Exercise helps,” says Amber. or a few more, pop up.

“PEER was instrumental in getting him back to school — Amber and normal again.”

Although Luca’s treatments finished over a decade ago, his cancer journey is far from over.

“Just as we figure out a problem, a new one, or a few more, pop up,” says Amber. “We still see specialists every three months. I don’t think we’ll ever graduate to annual follow-ups because his health is just too complicated.”

After chemotherapy, Luca’s family travelled to Houston, Texas, where he received proton radiation at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre. The hope was that the proton therapy would be less damaging to his brain.

Christine McIver, M.S.M., LLD (Hon), CFRE Founder and Chief Executive Officer PS. During the holiday season, please consider making a year-end gift.

Donations made by November 28, will be tripled by generous donors, multiplying its value and impact.

“Think like a proton: stay positive” reads Luca’s shirt

Luca during treatment and shortly after surgery

Luca has regular tutoring sessions with MacKenzie

through tutoring Sadly, that wasn’t the case. The radiation did damage Luca’s brain and he now requires a full-time aide at school. “He went from being gifted and ahead of his peers to falling behind,” says Amber.

Thanks to your generosity, Luca receives support from a tutor who understands cancer-related learning challenges. “He loves Mackenzie,” says Amber. “I can hear him laughing and having fun during their sessions.

It’s helped reduce my stress and I didn’t have to educate Mackenzie about all his late effects because Kids Cancer Care does that.”

through camp The gap between Luca and his peers grows wider each year and he sees it. He requires constant care and will never be able to live independently.

After six years of daily growth hormone injections, Luca recently learned that his growth plates have fused, and he has stopped growing.

He will be five feet forever. His hair never grew in completely and he’s had double cataract surgery.

“People stare,” says Amber, “not from malice but from concern. They wonder what happened to him.”

Cont. on page 4

ways you can help

how to help

during the holiday season GIVE MONTHLY

DONATE

You can be a superhero in the life of a child with cancer by joining our League of Superheroes Monthly Giving Club. Monthly gifts add up over time and make a lasting impact.

If you make your year-end gift on or before November 28 for Giving Tuesday, your donation will be tripled matched, creating three times the impact for kids like Luca.

CYCLE

YOUR GIFTS AT WORK, TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER HOLIDAY ISSUE — 2023

kidscancercare.ab.ca

BE BRAVE CREATE YOUR LEGACY Show moral

Join us for the Ride of Courage, support for July 12 to 14. children who lose A premier alltheir hair during inclusive, 3-day chemo and cut, cycling event. colour or shave Cycle by day and your lid for a recover around the kid. Raise funds campfire by night for our essential at Camp Kindle. programs.

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

Donate, register or learn more at kidscancercare.ab.ca today.

healing made possible by you Cont. from page 3

Luca navigating the ropes course at Camp Kindle

Natalia and Michael both help with Luca’s care. “They have grown into such caring and compassionate people,” says Amber.

Still, they’re only kids themselves and sometimes they need a break too. Thanks to your support, Luca and his siblings get a break each summer at Camp Kindle.

“I have found lifelong friendships with people who truly understand me, and what my family has been through,” says Natalia. “We are so lucky to have a place to leave our stories and create new ones, away from the hospital.”

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta 5757 4 Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 1K8

kidscancercare.ab.ca

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta is a registered Canadian charity #89940 9171 RR0001.

Michael agrees: “This camp is a big part of my life, through the friends I make every year, or the things I do every year. Camp really helps my brother Luca in so many ways. When I watch him trying new things, and making friends, it puts a smile on my face and a very big smile on his.

I’m so, so thankful for what camp has helped him with. It has helped him bring out his real self.”

As the Stamile kids suggest, camp isn’t only about fun and adventure. It helps kids affected by cancer build skills, friendships and the emotional resilience that is so essential to their mental and physical well-being.

Luca with his brother Michael before heading to Camp Kindle

Childhood cancer survivors are 57% more likely to struggle with depression and 27% more likely to struggle with anxiety.* Luca is no exception. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD and struggles with depression and anxiety.

Being at camp, seeing old friends, making new friends, and simply enjoying a sweet slice of normal helps all the Stamile kids.

“I love camp,“ says Luca. “I love everything about it, the activities, the friendships, the counsellors. My dream is to be a camp counsellor one day.”

Thank you for giving children affected by cancer a childhood and a chance to build the skills and resilience they need for a better future. * Lee, A., Low, C., Yau, C. et. al. (2023, June 22). “Lifetime Burden of Psychological Symptoms, Disorders, and Suicide Due to Cancer in Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/.

YOU’RE GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CANCER A BETTER CHILDHOOD AND FUTURE