how to help
ways you can help during the holiday season DONATE Your gift at Christmas will be double-matched! Make a year-end gift for 2 X the impact in the lives of children affected by cancer! Make a year-end gift today.
GIVE MONTHLY
CYCLE
YOUR GIFTS AT WORK, TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER HOLIDAY ISSUE – 2026
kidscancercare.ab.ca
ROCK YOUR CREATE YOUR LOCKS LEGACY
For the price of a Join us for the coffee, you can Ride of Courage, be a superhero July 9 to 11, 2027. Show moral support for in the life of a A premier allchildren who lose child with cancer. inclusive cycling their hair during Join our League event. Choose chemo and cut, of Superheroes between 3-day, colour or shave Monthly Giving 2-day or 1-day your lid for a Club and make a cycling options. lasting impact with Cycle by day and kid. Raise funds monthly gifts that recover around the for our essential add up over time. campfire by night programs. at Camp Kindle.
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.
community built by you
Cont. from page 3
When Bre reflects on the months since diagnosis, she doesn’t only think about treatments, specialists, or hospital visits. She thinks about the people who stood beside them. The families who understood. The community that embraced them. And the generous people who make this community possible. “Cancer can be incredibly isolating,” she says. “Kids Cancer Care showed us that we’re not alone and we’re part of something bigger.”
For families facing childhood cancer, medical care is essential, and so too is belonging. At Kids Cancer Care, thanks to your support, families find belonging and acceptance in friendships between siblings who get it, conversations between parents who know the weight of uncertainty. And they find it in moments of joy and laughter that help families feel whole again. “Without the support and community of Kids Cancer Care at this unexpected and challenging time, we’d be lost,” says Bre.
Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta 5757 4 Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 1K8
YOU ARE A LIFELINE FOR HOLLIS & HER FAMILY
kidscancercare.ab.ca
Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta is a registered Canadian charity #89940 9171 RR0001.
Hollis getting checked at SickKids
community built by you
You are a lifeline for families facing childhood cancer
For the first year of Hollis’s life, family was complete. Her big sisters, Cali and Marlowe, adored her. Their days were busy, noisy and filled with the chaos of family life. Then everything changed. At a routine eye appointment, Hollis was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare cancer affecting both eyes.
To mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we hosted our first annual research day, Curiosity Lab: Discoveries in Pediatric Cancer Research and Care. Curiosity Lab showcased research from across the childhood cancer continuum, from vaccines that train the immune system to fight cancer and community exercise programs for teens, to a patient app that identifies distress earlier and neuroimaging that is helping improve outcomes for children treated with radiation. The research happening in pediatric oncology across this province is extraordinary. We are witnessing a revolution in research, and it’s happening right here on our doorstep. What seems impossible today, becomes tomorrow’s breakthrough when curiosity, courage and community come together. Whether you support research, clinical trials, education programs, exercise therapy, camp, leadership, child life, or counselling programs, you are helping young people survive and thrive in body, mind, and spirit. Thank you for being part of a brighter future for children and families facing cancer. Sincerely,
Tracey Martin Chief Executive Officer
“I glanced at my sweet miracle sleeping away so peacefully,” says Bre, Hollis’s mom. “She had no idea how much her life was about to change.”
Conversations revolved around scans and test results. Family schedules revolved around treatment. Planning for the future felt impossible. “We stopped looking ahead,” says Bre. “We just focused on getting through the next appointment.”
Within days, her parents faced difficult decisions about treatment, travel, and how best to save their daughter’s life and protect her future.
“Without the support and community of Kids Cancer Care at this unexpected and challenging time, we’d be lost.
“We went from being a normal family to living in survival mode,” recalls Bre. As treatment began, family life split in two.
— Bre
Every two weeks, Bre and Hollis travelled to Toronto SickKids where Hollis received treatment and monitoring. Back home, her husband Joey cared for their older daughters while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. With access to pioneering research, clinical expertise and state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment, Hollis was in exceptionally capable hands at SickKids. Everyone was doing their best and carrying something different. Hollis was enduring treatment. Bre was navigating travel with an infant. Joey was working full-time while holding down life at home. Cali and Marlowe were trying to understand why their baby sister was sick and why their family was suddenly so different. They were all navigating fear and uncertainty.
Then, through Kids Cancer Care, the family discovered something they didn’t even realize they were missing — connection. Thanks to your support, Cali and Marlowe met other siblings who understood what it means to have a brother or sister battling cancer. usting for Treatment and travel were exha
our family
Hollis enjoyed herself at Camp Kindle
“At Kids Cancer Care, our children can focus on being kids, laughing, dreaming, creating, and looking toward a future beyond cancer,” says Joey. Bre and Joey met parents who didn’t need explanations because they were living similar realities themselves. For the first time in a long time, they felt understood. “There’s a comfort that comes with being around people who truly get it,” says Bre. “You don’t have to explain why you’re worried or why you’re exhausted. They already know.”
“People naturally focus on the child with cancer, and rightly so,” says Bre. “But cancer touches every member of the family.”
That sense of understanding became especially meaningful during family programs and camp experiences, where the focus wasn’t cancer. Families laughed together. Children played together. Parents shared conversations that felt honest and real. For a few precious days, appointments and treatment faded into the background.
For Bre and Joey, the hardest part wasn’t always the travel or the appointments. It was the feeling that cancer had taken over everything.
“We were able to laugh and make memories together as a family, and that is priceless,” says Bre. Hollis and her two sisters, Cali and Marlowe (right)
Our family, spending precious time together
Today, Hollis continues to receive ongoing care and monitoring at SickKids. Her journey isn’t over. But her family is no longer walking it alone. Cont. on page 4
community built by you
You are a lifeline for families facing childhood cancer
For the first year of Hollis’s life, family was complete. Her big sisters, Cali and Marlowe, adored her. Their days were busy, noisy and filled with the chaos of family life. Then everything changed. At a routine eye appointment, Hollis was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare cancer affecting both eyes.
To mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we hosted our first annual research day, Curiosity Lab: Discoveries in Pediatric Cancer Research and Care. Curiosity Lab showcased research from across the childhood cancer continuum, from vaccines that train the immune system to fight cancer and community exercise programs for teens, to a patient app that identifies distress earlier and neuroimaging that is helping improve outcomes for children treated with radiation. The research happening in pediatric oncology across this province is extraordinary. We are witnessing a revolution in research, and it’s happening right here on our doorstep. What seems impossible today, becomes tomorrow’s breakthrough when curiosity, courage and community come together. Whether you support research, clinical trials, education programs, exercise therapy, camp, leadership, child life, or counselling programs, you are helping young people survive and thrive in body, mind, and spirit. Thank you for being part of a brighter future for children and families facing cancer. Sincerely,
Tracey Martin Chief Executive Officer
“I glanced at my sweet miracle sleeping away so peacefully,” says Bre, Hollis’s mom. “She had no idea how much her life was about to change.”
Conversations revolved around scans and test results. Family schedules revolved around treatment. Planning for the future felt impossible. “We stopped looking ahead,” says Bre. “We just focused on getting through the next appointment.”
Within days, her parents faced difficult decisions about treatment, travel, and how best to save their daughter’s life and protect her future.
“Without the support and community of Kids Cancer Care at this unexpected and challenging time, we’d be lost.
“We went from being a normal family to living in survival mode,” recalls Bre. As treatment began, family life split in two.
— Bre
Every two weeks, Bre and Hollis travelled to Toronto SickKids where Hollis received treatment and monitoring. Back home, her husband Joey cared for their older daughters while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. With access to pioneering research, clinical expertise and state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment, Hollis was in exceptionally capable hands at SickKids. Everyone was doing their best and carrying something different. Hollis was enduring treatment. Bre was navigating travel with an infant. Joey was working full-time while holding down life at home. Cali and Marlowe were trying to understand why their baby sister was sick and why their family was suddenly so different. They were all navigating fear and uncertainty.
Then, through Kids Cancer Care, the family discovered something they didn’t even realize they were missing — connection. Thanks to your support, Cali and Marlowe met other siblings who understood what it means to have a brother or sister battling cancer. usting for Treatment and travel were exha
our family
Hollis enjoyed herself at Camp Kindle
“At Kids Cancer Care, our children can focus on being kids, laughing, dreaming, creating, and looking toward a future beyond cancer,” says Joey. Bre and Joey met parents who didn’t need explanations because they were living similar realities themselves. For the first time in a long time, they felt understood. “There’s a comfort that comes with being around people who truly get it,” says Bre. “You don’t have to explain why you’re worried or why you’re exhausted. They already know.”
“People naturally focus on the child with cancer, and rightly so,” says Bre. “But cancer touches every member of the family.”
That sense of understanding became especially meaningful during family programs and camp experiences, where the focus wasn’t cancer. Families laughed together. Children played together. Parents shared conversations that felt honest and real. For a few precious days, appointments and treatment faded into the background.
For Bre and Joey, the hardest part wasn’t always the travel or the appointments. It was the feeling that cancer had taken over everything.
“We were able to laugh and make memories together as a family, and that is priceless,” says Bre. Hollis and her two sisters, Cali and Marlowe (right)
Our family, spending precious time together
Today, Hollis continues to receive ongoing care and monitoring at SickKids. Her journey isn’t over. But her family is no longer walking it alone. Cont. on page 4
how to help
ways you can help during the holiday season DONATE Your gift at Christmas will be double-matched! Make a year-end gift for 2 X the impact in the lives of children affected by cancer! Make a year-end gift today.
GIVE MONTHLY
CYCLE
YOUR GIFTS AT WORK, TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER HOLIDAY ISSUE – 2026
kidscancercare.ab.ca
ROCK YOUR CREATE YOUR LOCKS LEGACY
For the price of a Join us for the coffee, you can Ride of Courage, be a superhero July 9 to 11, 2027. Show moral support for in the life of a A premier allchildren who lose child with cancer. inclusive cycling their hair during Join our League event. Choose chemo and cut, of Superheroes between 3-day, colour or shave Monthly Giving 2-day or 1-day your lid for a Club and make a cycling options. lasting impact with Cycle by day and kid. Raise funds monthly gifts that recover around the for our essential add up over time. campfire by night programs. at Camp Kindle.
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.
community built by you
Cont. from page 3
When Bre reflects on the months since diagnosis, she doesn’t only think about treatments, specialists, or hospital visits. She thinks about the people who stood beside them. The families who understood. The community that embraced them. And the generous people who make this community possible. “Cancer can be incredibly isolating,” she says. “Kids Cancer Care showed us that we’re not alone and we’re part of something bigger.”
For families facing childhood cancer, medical care is essential, and so too is belonging. At Kids Cancer Care, thanks to your support, families find belonging and acceptance in friendships between siblings who get it, conversations between parents who know the weight of uncertainty. And they find it in moments of joy and laughter that help families feel whole again. “Without the support and community of Kids Cancer Care at this unexpected and challenging time, we’d be lost,” says Bre.
Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta 5757 4 Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2H 1K8
YOU ARE A LIFELINE FOR HOLLIS & HER FAMILY
kidscancercare.ab.ca
Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta is a registered Canadian charity #89940 9171 RR0001.
Hollis getting checked at SickKids