Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2021

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For Chai Lifeline Canada’s part in raising awareness, we are honoured to share stories of the children with childhood cancer and their families that we support with programs, services and love.

“Sisi survived her bout with cancer that began in 2015 when she was 3 years-old. and in April 2021 the Doctors said the “C” word after 5 years of close monitoring with no recurrence. Cure. Sisi has now entered the “Long Term Survivor” program where she will still face additional challenges, but we are so grateful for her life and have faith that she will endure and thrive.

Sisi is a creative, bright, vivacious, enthusiastic artist and musician, loves her family, friends, and pets, loves attending school and learning and faces challenges with courage and dignity. Most importantly, she has deep empathy for anyone in need. She has faced such adversity in her young life but with the support of the village that makes up her support team with Chai Lifeline front and center, she is forging forward and declaring happily “Mommy, I love my life”. – Galit, Sisi’s Mom

“Everyone always imagines the best and brightest future for their child and anything that changes that path is usually a huge hit. Our change in path started when Oak was just four and a half years-old. Finding out he had a mass on his spine of a rare disease was a shock and trauma.

Over the past three years we have had ups and downs.

His disease is complicated and will never have a remission stage. However, Oak has taught us to take things one moment at a time and really appreciate the small stuff in life. No one has control over their future and this has just really taught us to live in the now.” Oak’s Mom

Just before his 7th birthday, Ethan was diagnosed with brain cancer which had spread to his spine.

“Hearing that your child has cancer is every parent’s worst nightmare. It happened to us and our world fell apart.” ~ Cindi

Ethan was rushed into an 8-hour brain surgery, the first of many that would follow over 13 months.

He had a full medical team at Sick Kids in Toronto and another at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, where he spent 3 months undergoing radiation treatment. His family also had a support team at Chai Lifeline Canada.

After 13 months of intense treatment, Ethan shows no evidence of disease. For the next 5 years, he will be monitored every 3 months.

Ethan’s family shares their experience as part of our annual campaign, Doing The Incredible Every Day. Check the link below for more information.

Words of Wisdom for Chai Warriors
Sammy Belitzky and Jess Rosenbloom

Sammy and Jess are familiar faces for our Chai community having openly shared their experiences facing childhood cancer over the years. This past summer, they were counsellors at Camp Lifeline and had the opportunity to mentor and be there for some of our young clients.