When we undergo a major crisis in our lives, we sometimes experience an epiphany about what actually matters. In some cases, we are changed for the better. Heather feels that she has had the opportunity to learn some very important lessons during her brush with childhood cancer, and shares them in this episode. 

Note from Heather - I accidentally skipped #5! I want to fix it, but I just don’t have time. Also, I’m happy with the flow of the episode, so I’m leaving it as is. In the spirit of this topic, here is lesson #5. Life moves fast and we are doing our best. If my best is not perfect, it is still damn good. So I’m accepting my mistake and moving ahead. I hope you love the episode! 

In this episode, Heather shares her family’s experience arriving at the end of treatment, 2.5 years after her child received a diagnosis of Leukemia B-ALL. She details the various steps that brought her family to that final moment, how they celebrated the occasion, and how they are looking ahead to life after cancer. 

In this episode, we hear the story of Sarah DeMelo. Sarah is the mother of a young family that includes 4 year old Benjamin, who has spent the last year and a half in treatment for Leukemia. Sarah shares the story of Benjamin’s illness, and his path to recovery. She also shares an important reminder of how important it is to advocate for our children, and for ourselves. Sarah herself is a warrior, and she tells the remarkable story about her own battle with a rare form of cancer. 

Sarah’s perspective is beautiful, and her story is one that you won’t soon forget. You can learn more about Sarah on Instagram at @sarahdkxo

In this episode, I am pleased to bring you my conversation with Susan Kuczynski – Lead Parent Liaison with Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer, also known as OPACC.  

OPACC is a registered charity whose mission is to be the parent voice for families with children diagnosed with cancer across Ontario, Canada. OPACC helps families through free programs and support services including in-hospital and virtual peer support, financial support, and community support.

Susan is a parent who has been there. Her daughter has been a childhood cancer survivor for 28 years, and Susan’s experience as a parent to a childhood cancer patient led her to her leadership role with OPACC.  

Susan is a kind soul with a reassuring voice, but she is also fierce advocate for parents everywhere. In this episode, Susan tells her story, and explains what OPACC is about, and what services are available to parents, and their families. You can learn more about OPACC, and their many resources at https://www.opacc.org.

In this episode, Heather ponders whether it is harder to have a young child, or an older child in treatment. Each scenario comes with its own unique set of challenges, and both are hard. She also shares a long list of fun things to do to pass the time with your child (no matter what age or stage of treatment) while staying in the hospital… plus one activity that can only be done at home.   

At this time of year, many of us are getting back into the routine of being back at school. However, not everyone gets to return to the classroom, particularly those kids who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Heather talks about some of the things that parents need to consider when preparing for the start of the school year. 
Also, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Heather talks about what it is like to hear all of the messaging around this occasion. She'd like to know how you are feeling about all of those statistics that are circulating. 

In this episode, we hear the story of Zach Round, a brain tumour survivor and childhood cancer advocate. Zach was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 17 years old. He shares the details about the different complications he encountered during treatment, how he made it through the experience, as well as what helped him go on to play college football, and to return to extreme mountain biking. Zach also explains how he became involved in different charities to raise funds and awareness for brain tumour research, and childhood cancer. You can read more about Zach at https://tumorwarrior67.com. 

In this episode, I share an update on some of the ‘lasts’ that we are experiencing as we approach the end of my child’s treatment. I have a sweet song recommendation from Susanne, my guest in episode 7, and a funny story about something that happened in the waiting room at the hospital last week. For a podcast that is about such a heavy topic, this is a nice, light episode. 

In this episode, we hear the story of Susanne and her family.  Susanne is the mother of a young boy named Frankie. Frankie was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2012 when he was just 2 years old. At that time, the treatment protocol for pediatric Leukemia was 4 years, so Susanne and her husband spent 4 years supporting their son while he received treatment. Happily, Frankie is now a healthy 13 year old boy. I am thrilled that they agreed to share their story on our podcast.

Fevers are a very real part of life for a child with Leukemia. When a child who is undergoing treatment gets a fever, it is actually a medical emergency. That child may not be able to fight the infection that is causing the fever. If it is not treated immediately, it can become serious or even life-threatening. In this episode, we talk about what it was like to discover a child’s fever, and how we responded. I also share my tips for how to ensure that you are ready if/when the first fever happens.