The Wish Children

Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young Welcomes Trevelyan

Strength of Family

Mom Charlene knew in early 2011 that something was amiss with her seven year old son Trevelyan. His energy was decreasing and he was constantly complaining of a sore stomach. Frequent visits to doctors were unable to determine the cause of his ailment.

In early April 2011, Trevelyan was unable to finish playing a hockey game and Charlene knew that something was clearly wrong with him. Trevelyan loved playing the sport and under normal circumstances would never have missed a game. An astute doctor at a walk-in-clinic suggested Charlene take Trevelyan to the hospital and gave her the requisite paperwork to speed up the intake process.

By that evening Charlene and husband Stephen had the shocking news that Trevelyan had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Often, when parents talk about their child becoming sick and receiving a serious diagnosis, they remember that time as being unreal or as passing in a blur. Such was the case for Charlene. Immediately following Trevelyan’s diagnosis both parents were thrown into a whirlwind of meetings with doctors, pharmacists, social workers and others at the hospital. They barely had time to absorb the fact that their little boy had leukemia.

Charlene recounts one of the hardest nights for her since Trevelyan’s diagnosis .

"Trev was instantly hospitalized. I stayed with him and Stephen had to be the one to keep coming home to deal with all the other responsibilities. The first night that I came home without Trev was incredibly hard for me."

Trevelyan has been given a three and a half year treatment protocol of chemotherapy. The first eight and a half months were more aggressive and he did end up back in the hospital with fever. He will complete his treatment in the fall of 2014.

Charlene was pregnant at the time of Trevelyan’s diagnosis and the family now includes baby Cormack, nine months and seven year old brother Samson.

Naturally the family would like Trevelyan to complete his treatment before his wish. He talks about becoming a Lego engineer when he grows up and it is only natural that his wish is to go to Legoland in Florida.

For now, Charlene is comforted by knowing that there were some wonderful discoveries during this incredibly difficult time.

"We were so overwhelmed by the support from friends and family. The community as a whole has helped us out tremendously. But the thing we really learned is how incredibly strong we are as a family."

Telus and Starbucks Welcomes Matteo

Teaching Lasting Lessons

It is difficult for most of us to conjure up an image of a little and energetic three year old running around with a medical bag attached to his body. For Matteo, the bag is the reality of his young life now. It is a life that he lives with joy, happiness and enthusiasm that only a child such as Matteo can live.

When Matteo was only 16 months old, he began to experience severe abdominal pain. Numerous visits to the doctor and emergency room failed to adequately determine a diagnosis.

After his health continued to decline, another visit to emergency made the shocking discovery that Matteo had an extremely large tumour on his bladder. The diagnosis was Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Of those diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, only one percent are young children such as Matteo.

The tumour and 20 percent of Matteo’s bladder was removed immediately and he began 54 weeks of chemo treatments.

Presumably life would now move forward for Matteo and his family which consists of mom Lisa, dad Nino, nine year old sister Jayden and baby brother Nicco. The family believed that the worst was behind them.

When Matteo relapsed in May 2011, Lisa and her family went into overdrive to tend to Matteo’s every moment. Lisa, husband Nino and grandmother shared 24 hour shifts at the hospital during his lengthy stay. This relapse caused the total removal of his bladder and prostate resulting in the permanent use of the medical bag called an ostomy pouching system. Following the surgery Matteo also went through a grueling six weeks of radiation and an additional 54 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy.

"I miss seeing his little belly button," Lisa says. Matteo is wearing an adult size bag which hangs down almost to the floor and covers a better part of his stomach.

When Lisa recounts the long medical journey in such a short life, she is astounded by Matteo’s resilience and determination. "He’s so sweet, loving and good natured. He’s now so excited over his new found independence as he’s not known anything other than being sick. He’s a responsible little guy who takes his shoes off at the door and even empties the bag on his own."

Matteo’s wish is to go to Atlantis and swim with the dolphins. As with everything, he is very excited to be travelling with his family and spending time away from hospitals, treatments and doctors. It will be a very special time for everyone to come together and enjoy being a family again.

Lisa believes that Matteo’s medical ordeal has taught them lasting lessons.

"Matteo has taught us how to live. We live by laughing and supporting each other and I think we’re doing a pretty good job. We are moving forward in the best way possible way," Lisa says.

City of Ottawa and Kanata Dental Clinic Welcomes Tyler

An Inspiration

You can detect the pride in Ida’s voice when she refers to her son Tyler as "very rare amongst the rarest". When you look at who Tyler is and what he has accomplished in his 13 years you see the validity of her statement.

When Tyler was one year old he was diagnosed with Sialidosis, a very rare genetic disease that is characterized by an enzyme deficiency. The enzyme in the cell is crucial however for the processing of nutrients and the lack of it affects every cell in his body.

There is no treatment or cure for the disease and Tyler had a very low life expectancy with the additional prediction that his vision and hearing would be greatly impaired, he would be in a wheelchair by seven years of age and would be very neurologically impacted.

Tyler has beaten all the odds; he is the only living child in North America with the disease. He speaks French and English and is in many ways your typical 13 year old boy. He loves practical jokes and Ida says she sees the "sparkle in his eyes" when he’s thinking of something mischievous.

Ida believes that Tyler was born to be a politician as he has very strong diplomacy skills. Additionally he has been a strong advocate in seeking funding for the research into Sialidosis. Ida says that it is definitely "the family’s hope" to find a cure for the disease.

Tyler is the only child to Ida and Perry. It is apparent that this is a very close family and Ida believes their closeness is definitely a result of Tyler’s illness. For Ida and Perry they have a shared goal of looking after Tyler and helping him live the best life possible. Both parents are now off work to tend to Tyler’s needs. "He is definitely our number one priority. There is nothing else," she says.

Tyler’s wish is to visit Hogwarts at Universal Studios. The wish trip was delayed when Tyler received a kidney transplant in December 2011.

Ida marvels at the impact Tyler has had on so many people since he was born. He is a child that inspires others to try and do somet

hing to better the lives of others. Tyler has helped raise a tremendous amount of money towards Sialidosis research and was first in the media when he was three years old.

He has used his voice to help raise awareness for the disease and is a living testament to strength and determination.

Astral Media and Steve Lowell Welcomes Samuel

A Little Treasure

When Steve recounts the almost unbelievable experience of finding out his son had Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer, he focuses on all the remarkable people that surrounded the family at their darkest time. The family have been through a difficult journey but have tried to keep positive throughout the numerous ups and downs that come with cancer.

The journey began in September 2011 when Steve and his wife Julie noticed that something was wrong with Samuel’s eye. Initially it was thought to simply be a stye, an eyelid bump. The bump continued to grow and numerous trips back and forth to the doctor eventually diagnosed a cyst that would have to be surgically removed.

When doctors operated in November 2011, they were alarmed to discover that the cyst, behind his eye, was in fact a very large cancerous tumour. As with all cases of childhood cancers, treatment was immediate.

Samuel, four at the time, began a 24 week cycle of chemotherapy and radiation treatment and his family never left his side.

As much as Steve remembers the very emotional and difficult time, he continues to focus on the positives.

"It was the best of a bad situation in a way. The location of the tumour was in the best possible spot. It didn’t spread. Samuel didn’t lose his eye and he has perfect vision. We are feeling really positive now even though it was horrible as we were going through it," Steve says.

To this day, Steve and Julie are still amazed from the outpouring of love and support that they received from his community of friends and family. Steve recalls, "We had people step forward to lend a hand, cook us a warm meal and just provide a shoulder to cry on, we are so grateful."

During treatment Samuel was informed that he would receive a wish from Children’s Wish.

He is fascinated with all things related to Pirates and is looking forward to a very unique wish experience. A charter boat company operating in the British Virgin Islands provides Pirate-themed excursions. The charter boat will move around islands during the week long cruise and disembark at Pirate stops along the way; there is Pirate restaurant on one island and an authentic shipwreck in the surrounding waters. Steve has an extra special event planned for Samuel. Steve is going to request that the charter company bury a treasure chest on one of the secluded islands and then he is going to create a map so that Samuel can go on a real life treasure hunt.

For now, Steve, Julie and Sam’s nine year old sister Hannah, are thankful that the worst is behind them and they can focus, as a family, on the future and on helping Sam find his treasure.

Care Wish Project – Mercury Rising – Jumpin’ Junkies Welcomes Darcy

Darcy is a happy, intelligent and articulate ten year old boy.

In March 2010, Darcy had tummy 'flu like symptoms. Vomiting, headaches came and went for six weeks. Trips to the doctor and his mother chalked it up to a persistent virus.

A routine eye exam revealed these symptoms to have a more sinister origin. The optic nerve was very swollen and the optometrist arranged for an immediate consult with an ophthalmologist at CHEO. A CT scan revealed a brain tumor and immediately Darcy was admitted. The mass was a craniopharyngioma, a benign tumor associated with the pituitary gland. Brain surgery to relieve the ventricles was done within two days of admission at CHEO. Darcy had six weeks of daily radiation to reduce the remaining mass.

Darcy continues to have his growth and development monitored at CHEO's endocrinology department and the mass monitored with scheduled MRI's and check-ups at the neurooncology unit at CHEO. Darcy knows he is one of the lucky ones. With early diagnosis and prompt treatment, Darcy did not suffer any neurologic deficits or blindness. Darcy wishes to give back to the health community and caring people he has met through his health crisis. He has raised more than $2500 for TheBrain Tumor Foundation of Canada. Darcy plans to help organize a fundraiser for the Children's Wish Foundation at his school next year.

It has been a stressful time as any one can imagine. The family's outlook and priorities have changed. Darcy has viewed his own mortality at eight years of age and this has led him to have tolerance and understanding beyond his chronologic age. The McRae's are extremely grateful for all the prayers, community and health supports which have been extended to them.

Darcy and his family are thrilled to have the opportunity to have his dream of travelling to Paris, France fulfilled. Darcy is in the early French immersion program in grade five. He wants to hone his French, see the Eiffel Tower and sample French pastries.

Team Tiger and Dream Makers Welcomes Robbie

Mike describes his seven year old son Robbie’s personality in one word “explosive”. He describes him as a young boy who might just be related in some strange way to the ‘ever-ready bunny”.

Robbie loves action in every form – running and playing at the park, playing his favorite video games of Super Sonic Mario and joining his soccer team-mates for a good fast game. His busy personality keeps Mike and Mom, Nancy constantly on the alert. Robbie lives every day under the cloud of Hemophilia B, Factor 9, and a blood disease which means all that “normal kid” activity could lead to serious complications. Something as common as climbing the child-friendly playground structures could cause excessive uncontrollable bleeding, extreme pain and immobility early in his life

It’s a little hard for a 7 year old to grasp the seriousness of what any injury could mean in terms of his illness while he’s running after the soccer ball or climbing the monkey bars – like every parent they love to see their son having fun but they also have to monitor all activities a little more carefully.

When the opportunity came for Robbie to have his wish granted he had no hesitation in deciding that it was Disney all the way!

Robbie’s love for excitement, movie characters and action figures along with those BIG FAST RIDES left little doubt that his wish would be to go to Disney with his family. Mom and Dad can hardly wait to hear his contagious laughter and share and capture all the smiles as the family celebrates this opportunity to take a break from hospital visits, blood tests and cheer on Robbie as he leads the way to his wish adventure. Look out Disney, Robbie is coming and we know no-one will forget meeting this friendly outgoing young fellow. Mike and Nancy fully expect to stand back in awe and with deep pride as Robbie charms everyone he meets in Disney. Robbie is also very excited to meet all the castaways at Exile Island and our bet is he could probably OUTPLAY all of you!