Ryder was born in June of 2012. Like most parents, my husband Chris and I had no idea what the journey of parenthood was all about but we would soon find out that the unexpected could happen at any moment.
We didn’t learn what a warrior Ryder would become until 8 months later, when we were told something no parent ever expects: Ryder had Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Read MoreI have been a volunteer for The Dream Factory for the past 15 years. At that time when it was called The Rainbow Society, I was working for the Winnipeg Free Press. This is where I met Tony and Paul Thompson who got me involved with the dragon boat team. Tony's wife is Grace Thompson, who was the former Winnipeg Executive Director of the Dream Factory. I was one of the paddlers on the boat for about 5 years and all of the money we raised were for the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Read MoreAva was born just over a month early on February 8, 2011. The doctors had hoped her condition would correct itself and, once born, she would be okay. Within a week, Ava relapsed and was in need of her seventh blood transfusion. We were told at this time for her to sustain life, she would need continual blood transfusions but still they said, “We don’t know why.”
Our family became a permanent fixture in Pediatric Cancer Care Manitoba. The weekly visits for blood transfusions and tests were always emotionally and physically draining. Ava was so very small and her veins were no bigger than a hair. It was not unusual for her to receive 6-8 “needle pokes” to find a vein that would take and hold an intravenous needle.
Read MoreYou see, Paisley has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer off and on since she was eight-months-old – since she was just a baby. Paisley lived in the hospital for five months and 22 days during her first year of life. She has endured three difficult brain surgeries, countless chemotherapy regimens, and several blood and platelet transfusions.
Even though Paisley has been through so much, her beautiful smile still shines through at the end of each and every day. She inspires all of us with her amazing strength and resilience.
Read MoreTwo years ago, at age 5, our son Finley was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma, a non-malignant brain tumour. The tumour was creating pressure in Finley’s head, which caused severe headaches, lethargy and hormone disruptions. As this tumour is considered rare, there is no standard treatment for it and approaches vary.
Finley had three brain surgeries in the five months following his diagnosis. He developed several complications from these surgeries, including meningitis and two strokes. For a time, he was unable to move one leg and one arm and lost a lot of his vocabulary. In addition to the surgeries, Finley had countless scans, tests and many, many needles. The needles are the worst for Finley, regardless of how quick or gentle the nurses are.
Read MoreSince Annick was 4-months-old, our lives have revolved around medical appointments, blood counts, pills, temperature readings, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Dealing with these situations and procedures has been hard for us, but we have also been struggling with the fact that this is how our lives are going to be from now on.
Since Annick was 4-months-old, our lives have revolved around medical appointments, blood counts, pills, temperature readings, emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Dealing with these situations and procedures has been hard for us, but we have also been struggling with the fact that this is how our lives are going to be from now on.
Read MoreMy name is Tara and the little girl pictured here is my beautiful daughter Mackenzie. For the past three years Mackenzie has been bravely battling a very rare disease called Batten Disease. Mackenzie is only 1 of approximately 12 known children in Canada diagnosed with this disease. Never heard of Batten disease? You’re not alone - neither had we. This is why I would like to share our story and tell you a little bit about why The Dream Factory means so much to our family.
Read MoreThere has not been a more difficult moment in my life than learning that my wonderful son, Colby, has a life-threatening illness.
When he was only 5-years-old, Colby was diagnosed with brain and spine cancer (medulloblastoma). This news was crushing, and yet I knew that I had to stay strong for my little boy, whose world was about to become so terrifying, filled with endless doctor appointments, hospital visits, countless needle pokes, and grueling treatments.
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