Ten-year-old Eamonn was at a spring break hockey tournament in Parksville when he started feeling tired and dizzy. Thinking it was just a bug, the young Saanich player persevered, but when the symptoms didn't improve, parents Jen and Trevor brought him to the local emergency department.
What followed was a whirlwind of tests, first in Victoria, then over the Easter Weekend at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, where on April 2, a bone marrow biopsy confirmed the unthinkable: Eamonn has leukemia. Immediately, his BC Children's team, including an oncologist, nurse clinician and a social worker, presented a treatment plan that included his first chemotherapy treatment the next morning, Jen recalls.
"In that moment, our lives did a complete 180," she says.
Eamonn is one of approximately 155 children diagnosed with cancer each year in British Columbia 鈥� children treated through BC Children鈥檚 Hospital, the only dedicated pediatric hospital in B.C. and the Yukon where kids get care specifically designed for kids.
Caring for more than 100,000 children and their families annually, BC Children鈥檚 offers specialized care for children like Eamonn who are facing critical health issues 鈥� from cancer to rare genetic disorders 鈥� with a dedicated team of more than 1,500 research professionals pushing the limits of what鈥檚 possible in children鈥檚 health care.
Eamonn is one of approximately 155 children diagnosed with cancer each year in British Columbia 鈥� children treated through BC Children鈥檚 Hospital, where kids get care specifically designed for kids.
is crucial in the at BC Children鈥檚. It supports novel findings, cutting-edge equipment, and ensures the right people are in the right place to take on the biggest challenges in children鈥檚 health. 鈥淏y donating to support cancer care and research, we can work together to get kids back to their lives,鈥� Jen notes.
Donors also support the work of teams like music therapy and child life who help kids be kids as they navigate treatment. While Eamonn was in Vancouver, a child life specialist tapped into his artistic side and helped him make a papier-m芒ch茅 axolotl. And for part of his science schoolwork, they created a volcano the family then erupted when back home.
"I'm just so grateful," Jen says. "They are just great at trying to brighten some dark, stormy days for these kids, and I'm such a believer in trying to find a sliver of magic in every day."
This year, that included welcoming Christmas a little early with a tree, baking and a few favourite holiday movies before Jen and Eamonn return to BC Children's for his next round of immunotherapy, scheduled to keep him in hospital until Christmas.
"This year, Christmas looks a whole lot different," Jen notes, but "the maturity and strength he's shown 鈥� I'm inspired by him every day."
The Mighty Journey Home
While Eamonn's cancer journey isn鈥檛 over, and he would like nothing more than to celebrate the holidays at home with his mom, dad and big sister, he continues to inspire his family, friends and community with his resilience and determination, whether it's designing socks for a cancer fundraiser or compiling jokes from his teacher into a book he'll leave for other kids undergoing treatment.
As one of the top pediatric hospitals in the world, BC Children鈥檚 Hospital teams are tackling some of the most complex physical and mental health challenges facing kids, and because the hospital has its own research institute on campus, life-changing breakthroughs can be fast-tracked from the lab straight to the bedside of kids in the hospital. In fact, for every $1 donated to the , $5 is secured for research.
The holidays are a time that beckons everyone home, but for seriously ill kids, that journey is not easy. Nurses, researchers, doctors and donors rally behind them, each one helping them get a step closer.
Even the smallest donations make a mighty difference, and this winter, your gift is even mightier: BC Dairy is matching your gift to BC Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation, helping get children out of the hospital and back home for the holidays 鈥� where they belong.
This Giving Tuesday, your gift can help more kids like Eamonn enjoy the holidays at home. and help small, fight big.