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April 2013
"The Candlelighter" eNews from Candlelighters
Keeping you informed about our events & activities.
From the Desk of Jocelyn Lamont

Brrr.... Mother Nature sure is hanging on to Old Man Winter!  I would love an April shower right about now, a little bit of warmer weather... sigh... let's get some spring in the air!!

 

Have you checked out our new website??  www.candlelighters.net for anyone who hasn't yet; you will agree - It is AWESOME!  Big thanks to Cory and Laura at Algonquin for the wonderful job they did on the re-design.  We love it!

 

Only 2 months until we celebrate the 10th Anniversary "Chipping In For Charity" golf tournament - June 4th 2013 at Greyhawk.  We are so thrilled that Teramach has been our presenting sponsor for 10 years!!!  We are looking forward to welcoming back TeraMach and our many wonderful returning sponsors and guests, as well as a few new folks too.  Check out who's going to be there www.chippinginforcharity.com Thank you for helping us raise a half a million dollars to support families of children with cancer !!

 

Quick trivia (just to change things up a bit here) ... what disco song did Anita Ward release in 1979??  And the answer is ... "Ring my Bell"...ring my bell ...  (ha ha ha - that song will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day).   Okay, that was the segue into the update on the End of Treatment Bell!  I'm excited to tell you that things are moving along to start celebrating end of treatment in the MDU.  We have a bell and are continuing to work alongside the hospital and foundation team to get these celebrations of such a milestone ... awesome.  So stay tuned ... I will keep you up to date.

 

Wanted: Parents to come to GATHER!  Thanks to those folks who have come on out to the monthly get together at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation Maplesoft Centre on the first Tuesday of the month from 7 - 8:30 pm.  A special shout out to those of you who have thought about it but are not sure it's for you... try it!  You may like it.  Very informal, great way to talk about what's important to you along this childhood cancer journey, maybe get some useful tips or ideas from other folks on a similar path. 

 

Jocelyn trivia .... What two sports are the most enjoyed in the month of May?  That would be:

1)   Cycling in the CN Cycle for Cheo www.cncycle.ca - coming up on Sunday May 5th 2013.  Great family fun and a terrific way to support Candlelighters and;

2)   Running ... as in on the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend's TEAM CANDLELIGHTERS. www.runottawa.ca  Did you know that if you are running in an event over the weekend, you can fundraise for Candlelighters and help make a difference in the lives of kids with cancer?  You can.  It's easy.  Go to: candlelighters.net/pt-event/tamarack-ottawa-race-weekend/

 

We'd be thrilled to have you participate in either one of these events, both of which support Candlelighters.  Invite your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours to participate with you! 

 

Go Sens Go!  Don't you just love yelling that out from Suite Seats?  Alfie, Alfie... Go Sens Go, Go Sens Go... yup, good times for sure.  We love bringing families to hockey games and other fabulous events ... Suite Seats is just a wonderful night out to create happy memories and spend family time.  

R2L

Our very good friends at Bayshore Shopping Centre

have supported this amazing program for the past 3 hockey seasons and put smiles on a kazillion kids' faces. Parents are thrilled to bring their families to the games.  And we will continue to do so with special thanks to Refuse 2 Lose. Check this out  www.Refuse2lose.ca

 

There have been a number of events added to the calendar at www.candlelighters.net/events and we are sooooo thankful for the fantastic support we receive from all the participants, planners, organizers, sponsors, guests of ... there is a ton of work (a ton!!) that goes into things like the 5th Annual Garage and Bake Sale, the Journey 24Kt event, the "Where there's light, there's hope" Fundraising Dinner, the Inside Ride, the Sparkling Cause... all these terrific events.  Candlelighters' relies on this kind of amazing community support and it is always and greatly appreciated.

 

Who loves the new, longer call bells on 4North??!!  "The List" that came out of the Focus Group held back in February is getting shorter and shorter!! Cheo, Candlelighters and the Cheo Foundation are working together and achieving some terrific results.  I can't tell you how much I love to share news that in response to feedback and comments from parents, changes and ideas have been implemented that will positively impact the childhood cancer experience for patients and families!

Watch for more news on Facebook - CandlelightersOttawa and follow @candlelighters1 on Twitter to keep up to date on everything that's happening!

 

And don't forget, "Share" our Facebook posts, "Like" them, send comments - we love hearing from you all! 

 

Alrighty then, this brings it to a close for this time 
JL
My Story

Maria's Story

 

Maria & Family

Maria Fakhouri was born on December 10th, 1998.  Maria was a healthy baby as far as we knew.  After her first birthday, things seem to change.   Maria was no longer eating very well or sleeping well.  She would often start crying for no apparent reason.  On March 27th, year 2000, we took her to CHEO after having had a fever for a week and looking very pale and lethargic.  We arrived at noon and after a number of  tests, we were told at 7pm that Maria had cancer.  She was diagnosed with a rare form of Wilm's Tumour, a kidney cancer.  It was also rare to have it at such a young age. 

 

Maria had surgery to remove her left kidney.  She then started chemotherapy and radiation.  Maria had many complications and spent approximately 8 months in the hospital, mostly in isolation.  Maria was so sick that nothing she ate could stay down and we were forced to put in a G-tube in order for her to get any nutrition. 

 

Today, Maria is doing fine and loves going to school, swimming and going to Kickboxing. We are dealing mostly with all the secondary effects of her treatments.  Her right kidney has been damaged from all the chemotherapy and antibiotics that she was on.  She takes medication to keep it stable.  Her G-tube was removed in 2011 and she has regained the joy of eating. 

 

During our hospital stay, Candlelighters provided us with much needed support.  They ran a Wednesday support group to help us cope with our situation, they provided us with parking passes, and much information on Maria's illness.  Maria loves Candlelighters for their XMAS party, painting classes, fashion shows and loves that they remember her every year on her birthday with a special gift.  Her most exciting event is being the poster girl for the 24H Tremblant.  She has enjoyed every minute of it and is forever grateful to Candlelighters for this experience.  We are grateful to them for helping us through the most difficult journey of our life.

 


Has Candlelighters supported you? your family? or someone you know who was faced with childhood cancer?

Please share your story with us. Only takes a few minutes to tell us how Candlelighters' programs and services supported you in time of need.
Special Thanks
We would like to take this time to send special thanks to the following people who have made a difference over the last month: June King, Blaine Steele, Muriel Chenard & Marlene Grant. Thank you for supporting kids with cancer and their families.
Candlelighters' Upcoming Events
Very excited for 2013 is turning out to be a good year full of great events & activities. Stay up-to-date on Candlelighters events. Check out our calendar of events.
Support Children with Cancer & their Families
You can make a difference in the life of a child battling cancer and their family. Visit our website and consider one of the many ways you can make a difference in a child's life today.
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