Kids Candidly Spring 2024

CEO m essage

Happy Spring!

As the new CEO of Kids Cancer Care, I am grateful to join this incredible community and am deeply committed to ensuring every young person and family affected by cancer receives the support they need to thrive in body, mind, and spirit for life.

Behind the scenes, I have been getting to know everyone, listening, and learning about the magical work we do. I look forward to honoring and building on the incredible 30-year legacy that you — our staff, volunteers, families, partners, donors, sponsors, and our founder Christine McIver — have built together.

I am so excited to meet all of you and hear your stories to better understand how we can do more to provide the highest quality programs, so every young person feels valued and a profound sense of belonging and acceptance as they develop the skills and resilience they need to meet the challenges of life after cancer.

Stay tuned, as we have some exciting news to share about a new initiative that we can take on together to create unforgettable experiences and opportunities for children and families! With warmth and deep appreciation,

Tracey Martin Chief Executive Officer

healing and hope inspired by you

You're giving Brooke a fighting chance

When Brooke was diagnosed with scoliosis*, and later, dysautonomia*, they thought they had discovered the source of her health problems, but her medical journey was just beginning.

Brooke had always been a healthy, active child, excelling at school and sports. When her health started steadily declining in her teen years, Brooke’s mother Gail started searching for answers.

Eventually, Brooke started seeing an orthopedic surgeon. Puzzled by her deteriorating health, he added a brain scan to the long-awaited MRI of her spine.

The MRI revealed a mass in Brooke’s brain. In October 2020, Brooke underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumour. Parts of it were so deep in her brain they could only get about 40 per cent. That provided enough tissue for a biopsy, which revealed a grade 2 diffuse astrocytoma. Diffuse refers to the tumour’s hazy boundaries and a tendency to invade healthy brain tissue nearby.

Brooke experienced a stroke post-op and temporarily lost her ability to speak. Next, Brooke underwent 30 days of radiation and 13 months of chemotherapy. They drove to Calgary from Rocky Mountain House each week for over a year for medical appointments.

Recovery was long and difficult. Thankfully, you were there offering support through our PEER exercise program. Each week, Brooke met oneto-one with Carolina Chamorro Vina, Ph.D., our PEER exercise specialist.

“Whenever we were in Calgary for appointments, we would stop at Kids Cancer Care for an exercise session,” says Brooke. “Carolina was always a light in our day.”

Thanks to your generous support, Brooke also participates in one-to-one sessions with Carolina from home. “Having the option to do exercise sessions through Zoom has been very convenient for us, as we don’t have to make extra trips to the city,” says Brooke. “Carolina makes sure you’re well equipped at home,

supplying us with much of the same equipment they have in the gym.”

Although Brooke’s tumour is incurable, and what remains is inoperable, it has been stable since February 2022. She is still being monitored closely with scans every six months. When she finishes high school, Brooke plans to go into medical research.

“Kids Cancer Care has been a place of hope and healing for us,” says Gail. “Being from a small town there are no resources for families facing childhood cancer. During every visit to Kids Cancer Care, we are met with such warmth and kindness. We rarely leave emptyhanded, providing us with quick and easy meals, parking passes for medical appointments, and even tickets to events in the city. It has been a huge comfort and support for me and Brooke.”

Thank you to the Flames Foundation and other generous donors for making PEER possible for young people like Brooke. You’re helping them heal.

Brooke shortly after her craniotomy

Brooke exercising at PEER

community built by you

You're giving Nyah a community and a purpose

At nine, Nyah was already a brilliant soccer player. Steadily working her way up to the top teams for her age group, soccer was all she imagined for her future.

Nyah had always prided herself on not missing school, so when she experienced a severe nosebleed before school one morning, she wasn’t about to let that stop her. Later that day, while running in gym class, she experienced excruciating stomach pain, but she soldiered on. That was until her gym teacher noticed and asked her to stop. Even though she later went home sick, Nyah never imagined she would end up at the hospital that night. Nor was she prepared to hear the words: “acute lymphoblastic leukemia.”

Nyah was in for the fight of her life.

Thankfully you were there to help as she navigated her long road to recovery.

Over the next four years, Nyah endured 36 months of chemotherapy, regular lumbar punctures and bone marrow aspirations, two relapses, 30 days of radiation, and finally, a bone marrow transplant (BMT). During a BMT, doctors prescribe high-dose chemo to destroy the cancer cells, but it also wipes out the patient’s entire immune system, requiring strict isolation. By transplanting the healthy donor cells, they build the patient back up.

it was the muscles of her ribcage that were under attack, restricting the expansion of her ribcage and capacity to breathe. She is constantly fatigued.

Fortunately, you were there, supporting Nyah’s recovery through our PEER exercise program. Your generosity helped Nyah to stay active during treatment: “I would do PEER sessions remotely through Zoom — sometimes from home and sometimes from the hospital.”

PEER sessions helped Nyah strengthen her cardiovascular capacity to improve her breathing.

Thanks to you, Nyah also had Camp Kindle: “Camp gave me space to simply be a kid and forget about any treatment worries while knowing I had nurses nearby and all my medication with me.”

“Teen Leadership Program has given me a community I love. — Nyah

In grade 10, Nyah joined our Teen Leadership Program (TLP). “TLP has given me a community I love,” says Nyah. “It not only teaches us practical life skills like leadership or sales, but many of the workshops prepare us for the future.”

Although Nyah was deemed cancer-free in May 2021, it wasn’t long before she developed graft-versus-hostdisease (GvHD) — a complex side effect of transplantation in which the donor cells attack the host’s body. For Nyah,

Kids affected by cancer miss out on a lot. Sometimes there are developmental or skills gaps because they have been so isolated and have missed so much school, and extracurricular activities. Our programs help address these gaps. While Nyah is looking to the future, her medical journey is far from over. When conventional GvHD medications failed, Nyah faced the only treatment remaining — extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP). During ECP, a specialized machine separates the patient’s white blood cells from the rest of the blood and treats them with UVA light. This stops the white blood cells from attacking the host when returned to the body.

munity built by you

DONATE

Your one-time gift will help ensure we’re here to help kids affected by cancer.

Cont. from page 3 BARLEY & SMOKE

DRINK BEER, EAT BBQ

Join us for Barley & Smoke on Saturday, August 24 when Calgary’s top chefs and brew masters come together for the taste event of the year! Get tickets at barleysmoke.ca

ROCK YOUR LOCKS

It’s the same great cause and challenge but with a rockin’ new twist. Rock Your Locks all year long! Cut, colour, or shave your lid for a kid while raising funds for kids fighting cancer.

CYCLE

Join us for the 2024 Ride of Courage, July 12 to 14. A premier all-inclusive, 3-day cycling event Cycle through the Alberta Foothills by day and recover around the campfire at Camp Kindle by night. We also have 1-day and flex cycling options.

RIDE

Join us for the Ride for a Lifetime. Head into the Rockies June 21 to 23 for a 3-day motorcycle adventure with miles of mountain highway, unbeatable camaraderie, and a chance to help kids with cancer.

While it’s still too early to say whether ECP is working for Nyah, and she has let go of her soccer dreams, the 16-year-old girl remains steadfast and upbeat. “As bad as cancer is, it’s given me so much. I even know what I want to do for my career now — pediatric oncology. I want everyone to know just how impactful this organization has been for me.”

Thank you for making our programs possible for youth like Nyah. You’re giving them a community and a purpose.