5 Years: Official Long-term Survival

[Photo Description: Abby hugs Ollie to her as they pose with a cake reading, "Re-birthday/Hero Day #5!". Both are smiling.]

Almost unbelievably we find ourselves at 5 years post transplant, celebrating Ollie's 5th Re-birthday and Abby's 5th Hero Day (officially last week on July 20th)! 

If you have been following along with us the past 6 years since diagnosis,  you might remember that it was her incredible bravery donating her half match stem cells for her brother (during the early days of the pandemic on March 31st, 2020 when planes were grounded and we couldn't use the 3 perfect matches on the international registry) that enabled his survival. He finally got them on July 20, 2020 after relapsing in his central nervous system (CNS) a second time, enduring 13 sessions of brain and spine radiation while using his miracle drug,  Lorlatinib to get back into remission, and on to transplant with her "overachieving" cells. Getting to long-term survival with ALCL ALK Positive cancer with CNS relapses historically was considered unlikely. Thank God and the science he gave us for the evolution of cancer research that has gotten Ollie to this point! 

When you're going through the agony of cancer itself and relapses, all you can do is focus on today's survival.  One day at a time.  And going through a stem cell transplant requires shortening your gaze even more,  to deal with each moment and each hour as they come. Just hoping to survive each day to get through the first 100 days,  the first 6 months and the first year.  

Then if you are still high risk for relapse even after transplant as Ollie was because of his central nervous system (CNS) involvement, and you are taking a cancer inhibitor drug,  you are followed at regular intervals by your medical team for 3 years post transplant.  So you get into the 4th year with fear because suddenly you're only seeing your oncology team once a year and not getting scans unless there is an issue.  You watch everything like a hawk and pray that the little bumps that appeared on a hot summer day are just heat rash and not a relapse. It takes a lot of effort in these post transplant years to train your brain not to go to the darkest places every time there is a possible symptom that might indicate that your fragile stability is lost. 

[Photo Description: Abby,  Mario,  Ollie, and Dawn pose for a selfie in Mont-Tremblant,  Quebec while painting pottery in August 2024. Ollie is sticking his tongue out in cheekiness.]

When you're 5 years out from stem cell/bone marrow transplant you start to settle into the "new normal" of just living.  Trying to believe that you finally can without constant fear,  and hoping all of the healing that you've done will help to keep your nervous system calm when there are inevitable triggers. You might stop thinking about cancer every day (if you're not still doing all of the advocacy that we do) and when you do think about it at all it is often of the crazy life lessons that you learned, and the unexpected blessings that came your way during an otherwise traumatic time. 

So what have our incredible survivors (for Abby and all of us have survived Ollie's cancer and it's long-term effects, too) been up to the past year? In a nutshell - A LOT (you can read the details below)!!! We have continued our many advocacy activities for the many organizations that have helped us to get Ollie well and to help him to thrive, and added a few new ones along the way. Ollie has continued to be passionate about many parasports and the results show that they are keeping him strong and healthy both physically and mentally. Some awards were unexpectedly won within our family and humbly appreciated, and we all grew and healed along the way.

[Photo Description: Mario and Dawn stand on either side of Ollie in his school's front hall while he holds his certificates and wears his medal after the Awards assembly in June 2025. ]

For any who will stop reading here (I appreciate many of you are too busy to read all of the details below), I just want to make my annual reminder to always hold on to your hope, no matter what. Especially if you or a loved one you are caregiver for continues to struggle with getting into remission.  I don't know what we would have done without our hope and faith. 

If you are working in the medical field trying to save others like my Ollie, please do not look at your patients as if they are statistics. Statistically Ollie should not be here today and there was a time that we were told it was highly unlikely that he would even get back into remission and on to transplant, never mind become a long-term survivor and thrive. But here he is - a testament to determination, resiliency and hope. His survival was possible because no one gave up on him and everyone worked together to find solutions. 

Even in stats there are always outliers. The world (even the medical world) is not black and white, but many shades of grey (even Ollie with his blindness sees shades of grey) and neither people nor stats land tidily into typical groups all of the time. Embrace the outliers. Learn from them. Believe that they are real and are sent to teach you new lessons. If there is a sliver of hope that these outliers might survive, allow their families to hold on to this hope and don't crush it. Ollie is here today because we wouldn't let our hope be crushed and our medical team listened to us. We insisted he would survive and they let us try the next thing. That next thing (Lorlatinib and brain and spine radiation) saved him. And the next thing after that (stem cell transplant) gave him re-birth. We were lucky that our next things and time didn't run out and now we try to help to find potential next things for others. We can't save all of them (yet), but we can learn while trying and apply these learnings to the next kids. 

[Photo Description: Ollie adds his handprint to the lab coat of a researcher from the CHEO Research Institute while Dawn assists at the Hyundai for Hope event at CHEO. These researchers hung these coats in the lab to remind them that real life kids need their discoveries.]

Thank you always to our entire teams from bottom to top at CHEO, Sick Kids, the Ottawa Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital. Thank you to the many many incredible not for profit organizations that have provided resources and programming over the past 6 years since diagnosis (some named here). And to each and every family member, friend, community member, total stranger who came out to help a boy you didn't even know (especially the selfless donors of blood products who saved him repeatedly in those first 2 years of treatment). Every single one of you was crucial in saving our child. We will never forget and will always try to be part of the supportive armies of other children like Ollie to try to help save more of them. 

For any who really want the details of our past year:

• Ollie's Health: 
• Ollie's two series of bone density scans showed that his osteopenia in his lower back and hip are basically resolved. His bones have grown stronger simply by us ensuring he had adequate intake of calcium,  using daily Vitamin D3 and K1 (helps the calcium be directed straight to his bones), and with all of his many parasports that he plays (we've contributed to research that shows that sports and physical exercise in cancer kids makes their bones stronger);
• Ollie had a great annual oncology check-up. Most side-effects have gotten better over time, but a x-rays and an MRI of his spine (due to back pain he was experiencing for a few weeks) confirmed that his spine has degenerated to some degree already (not common in a kid his age, but common in kids his age who have had spinal radiation), and an x-ray of his leg where he had a strange protrusion of a bone identified 3 bone spurs. Neither of these issues is causing him any pain at the moment and we have been proactively seeing a physiotherapist and an exercise specialist at the Children's Treatment Centre to ensure that he is doing the right things for his back daily. We are also waiting on an orthopedic consult (9 months and counting);
• Ollie continues to grow well without intervention other than his daily thyroid medication. He has now surpassed his sister in height (to her disgust)! We are watching his testosterone closely as he cruises into puberty to determine if we will need to add synthetic hormones to ensure his continued normal development and growth. I am still constantly shocked to hear of kids who have not seen an endocrinologist post treatment as I firmly believe this should be standard of care. 

[Photo Description: Dr. Abbott (Ollie's original primary oncologist) stands behind Ollie resting her hands on his shoulders as Ollie gives two thumbs up during his annual oncology visit at CHEO in fall 2024 when we bumped into her. Ollie is wearing a Notre Dame Science t-shirt, a white ball cap that says, VIP and has an image of a figure of a person with a mobility cane on it, and Ollie holds his mobility cane in the crook of his arm.]

• Childhood Cancer Advocacy and Activities:
• Our family's PROFYLE video campaign for Childhood Cancer Canada was launched in September 2024 for Childhood Cancer Canada;
• We were happy to lend our story with others from the Ottawa pediatric cancer community to the Kindred Foundation in support of Phoebe Rose Rocks Committee for a fundraiser in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month;
• Ollie and Dawn continue to support CHEO as much as they are able: 
• Dawn is Co-Chair of the CHEO Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC);
• Dawn is also a member of the CHEO Indigeneity, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access and Social Justice (I-IDEAS) committee, 
• Dawn continues to be a Family Leader with the CHEO Research Institute and a Family Advisor on several of its current cancer studies in progress;
• Ollie helped to cut the ribbon to open the new MRI machine for CHEO in October 2024. 
• Ollie also spoke to the CHEO Board of Directors at their annual retreat about his experience as a kid with disability at CHEO and how CHEO can be more accessible;
• Dawn and Ollie supported the shorter Snow Angels for CHEO campaign this year, and their team raised more than in any other year;
• Dawn and Ollie participated in the CN Cycle for CHEO for the first time;
• Ollie participated with other survivors in the Hyundai Hope on Wheels event at CHEO where they donated $250,000 for childhood cancer research at the CHEO Research Institute;
• The whole family participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada's Light the Night Ottawa Event. Dawn continues to be a member of the LLSC Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and helped to develop a new series of materials for families experiencing childhood cancer. Ollie's photo and story also continued to be part of various mailouts for LLSC over the past year;
• Ollie was pleased to be asked by his former/first Educational Assistant (now a teacher) Mrs. Taylor to come to her school and speak about his wish from Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario as her school had decided to support them for their Lenten Project. His speech made a big impact and was really emotional for mama because we got to see Mrs. Taylor who helped him so much his first two years back at school. Mrs. Taylor later messaged us that the school's goal had been $2,500 and Ollie inspired them to crush it, raising $4,022.04!;
• Ollie was asked by one of his CNIB friends to speak at his high school at their Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life launch in Perth, Ontario and was glad to do so. Ollie's speech also inspired another young woman who attends that school and has been going through cancer treatment at CHEO the past few years to speak publicly and poignantly about it for the first time ever. Ollie also attended the relay itself with his friend and their school had the best result that they have ever had with over $115,000 raised for research;
• Dawn continues to be an active Co-Lead for Advancing Childhood Cancer Experience, Science and Survivorship (ACCESS)'s Education and Training theme and attended the ACCESS Annual Meeting in Toronto in January 2025;
• Dawn helped with a Canadian Blood Services swabbing event in support of Hillary McKIbben. Dawn also donated blood three times in the past year and Abby has just booked to make her first donation now that she is 17!;
• Dawn helped two other Ottawa cancer mamas to start Golden Moms Ottawa this year - a community of unwavering support, advocacy, and connection for mothers navigating childhood cancer—whether in treatment, survivorship, or remembrance. 

[Photo Description: Ollie stands beside his former EA Mrs. Taylor who has her arm around him while Ollie gives two thumbs up and holds his mobility cane in the crook of his arm.]

• Disability/Vision Loss Awareness and Activities:
• Mario took Ollie and Hope to CNIB Buddy Dog Camp last August (Dawn had a flare up of her spinal osteoarthritis so Abby stayed home to help her) and all three had a great week;
• Ollie participated in an accessibility study for a section of the national Museum of Science and Technology and was thrilled to be paid to give his opinion on how to make the Museum more accessible to kids with disabilities;
• Ollie, Hope and Dawn once again were part of the CNIB Guide Dogs float for the Carleton Place Santa Claus Parade (Carleton Place is where the CNIB Canine Training Centre is located);
• In honour of International Persons with Disabilities Day (December 3), Ollie was awarded the Feeldom Student of the Year Award for demonstrating a spirit of compassion and positive influence in his community and got a very cool accessible backpack;
• Ollie was in a recording studio in Toronto to record a character voice for a new national animated campaign for CNIB that will launch this fall (can't wait to share it!);
• Dawn was humbled to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal from CNIB for her outstanding commitment to advocating for children in Ontario with vision loss through her role as the President of the Ontario Parents of Visually Impaired Children and in recognition of the work that she has done nationally in this realm as well as her national work related to childhood cancer awareness;
• Ollie and Hope were featured in an episode of Collar of Duty Kids last week where we collaborated with CNIB, with Kids Kicking Cancer Canada Heroes Circle Ottawa, and CHEO to show how kids and their service/support animals work together;

[Photo Description: Ollie in the recording studio taking direction while reading the Braille script for an upcoming CNIB Next Generation campaign.]

• Ollie's Parasports Activities:
• Beep Kickball with the Miracle League of Ottawa - Ollie played last summer and early fall last year and is currently playing again this season;
• Skateboarding - Although his beloved indoor skatepark closed last year, Ollie continues to participate and even help to teach skateboarding to the CNIB youth during the warm months thanks to his instructor Jordan Wells bringing in the Ottawa Skateboarding Association (of which he is the President) to create a "Learn to Skate" para-skating program for them;
• Kids Kicking Cancer Canada Heroes Circle Program - Ollie continues to be involved through both the Ottawa Cancer Hub and CNIB (Dawn is also a member of the KKCC Ottawa Leadership Group) where he participated in regular classes as well as:
• The Jesse McLean 5k Walk/Run;
• AdaptExpo 2025 - Supported their exhibiting and teaching at the AdaptExpo 2025;
• Teaching - Worked with Kids Kicking Cancer founder Rabbi G to teach Detroit Tigers pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long how to power breathe as he was recuperating last year from surgery, and once again got to meet and do martial arts with Mixed Martial Arts Champion  Georges St-Pierre (GSP) as part of Fight for the Cure 2024;
• Ollie received his green belt in June 2025 with another student, making them the two highest belts ever given in the Ottawa program to-date;
• Blind Hockey - Ollie played another incredible season as goalie with the Canadian Blind Hockey Association as a member of the Ottawa 67s Blind Hockey team. This year, an adult team was also started in Ottawa and Ollie often pitched in to be a second goalie for them when needed, playing with the children and youth team and then for a second hour with the adults! His incredible season also included: 
• A day on the ice with the Ottawa 67s players, 
• Demonstration of youth blind hockey at the Blind Hockey League (BLH) Carnegie Cup in December 2024 (Ollie also got to drop the ceremonial puck to start the international tournament);
• Demonstration of youth blind hockey at Fanfest as part of the World Junior Hockey Tournament in Ottawa in December 2024;
• Demonstration of youth blind hockey at the start of an Ottawa 67s game at TD Place in January 2024 (Ollie also got awarded their mini-game/demonstration puck to keep as the only goalie there);
• Ollie once again participated in the Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament in Toronto and had his best tournament yet. He was awarded the Most Improved Player Award for his progress over the past year;
• Ollie also attended CNIB Lake Joe Blind Hockey Camp earlier this summer for a week to improve his skills and came back with the MVP trophy and a Champions medal;
• Blind Golf - Ollie began learning to play blind golf from a Blind Golf Pro last summer, continued to learn by using a golf simulator over the winter, and is now participating again this summer;
• Snowboarding - Ollie (and Abby) learned to snowboard this year over March Break at Blue Mountain. Ollie was excited to take his first adapted lesson and is eager to do more this winter (only problem is finding enough nights to do all of his activities!);

[Photo Description: Ollie after the belt grading in his gi and new green belt while Sensei Lyne stands behind him with her hands on his shoulders.]

• Other Family Developments:
• Ollie started middle-school at a high school in grade 7, had a great year with many new friends, and was part of the Cross-Country team. At the school awards ceremony in June 2025 he received awards for:
• Honour Roll both semesters;
• Director of Education 6 C's of Education - Creativity Award for always being an out of the box thinker who looks for solutions;
• Participation in the Gauss Math Contest with University of Waterloo;
• Cross Country Coach's Award for best team spirit and attitude;
• Abby got promoted to Director at the children's camp and before and after care centre that she works at and is working again full-time this summer;
• Abby got her G1 Driver's License last August and is taking her G2 exam later this summer;
• Karma really delivered for Abby in November 2024, helping her to win two free seats in a donated suite to see Taylor Swift with Campfire Circle in Toronto! Mom got to go, too!;
• Abby had a minor concussion last Christmas from a fall on the ice and we were grateful for the support of the local concussion clinic. She still decided to take her exams and did really well. She is now fully recovered;
• Abby also had her wisdom teeth out last winter as she was already too wise and no longer needed them! LOL She did well and healed quickly;
• Ollie began guitar lessons over the past year, beginning with acoustic and soon acquiring an electric guitar which is his new love. His teacher is a local musician with vision loss;
• We all just got back from an incredible 10 day European adventure visiting England and France to celebrate Ollie's 5 year anniversary of transplant. Dawn was asked to represent Canada and be part of an international ALCL ALK+ pediatric cancer study, so also spent one day at Cambridge University presenting, collaborating and learning.

[Photo Description: Abby,  Mario,  Ollie and Dawn pose at Tower Hill in front of London Tower Bridge in London,  UK earlier this summer. ]

If you read all the way to here, thank you! 

And as you can see we don't waste a minute of the extra time that we have been given with Ollie. Sometimes I am asked if we ever sleep, and we do, but we also know how precious every moment is and don't want to waste any. We do rest and plan to do more of this over the next month to be ready for another inevitably busy year, starting with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. 

We don't blog here often anymore, but you can follow Ollie's continuing story on Instagram where we post shorter updates more regularly. 

The Official End of Treatment

[Photo Description: A masked Ollie and Dawn pose on the first floor of CHEO under a street sign that reads, "Memory Lane".]

Yesterday was our last of three years post stem cell transplant regular oncology checkups and bloodwork at CHEO. How naive was I when I thought we'd be done with cancer in 8 months of treatment maximum?! 😆 It's been almost 4 years since we started at CHEO!

On October 22, 2019 we started our medical journey at CHEO when we arrived for our first tests, so today we took a little trip down memory lane. 

[Photo Description: Ollie, Micah, Isaiah and Theo sit in the lab waiting room talking and watching tablets.]

We started at the lab where we bumped into friends Paula and her boys Isaiah, Micah, and Theo who were also waiting for bloodwork. They were one of the many amazing families who helped during our battle. How fitting that we had a reminder of the army that helped us over the past 4 years.

Also fitting that while in the unusually long line waiting at the lab, CHEO's fearless leader, Alex Munter came along, said hi and set about trying to find out why the line up was not moving faster and updating us soon after. A simple example of the leadership at CHEO that has kept things moving for us even during the difficulties of the pandemic. In February 2020 Alex came to Ollie's hospital room after the story about his missing stuffed llama went viral. At that time Alex told Ollie if he needed anything to let him know. Needless to say, Ollie and I have taken him seriously and never been shy to ask for the things we think can make things easier for families like ours. In turn Alex has always considered every request or suggestion and done what he could to help. So in keeping with his action-oriented approach, he followed up tonight by email, asking our opinion on some other possibilities to make the lab easier and more efficient for families. How lucky are we to be able to influence even better care for CHEO families?!

[Photo Description: Ollie wears his CHEO shirt, shorts and a mask and poses in front of a mural of children playing in a tree with the word CHEO in a cloud above. Ollie is giving two thumbs up and holds his cane in the crook of his arm.]

After Alex left and we waited with our friends for a while, I did have to go into the lab reception area and advocate to be accelerated so that Ollie's bloodwork would make it into the courier by 2 pm to head to Germany for his final inclusion in Dr. Woessman's Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma relapse research and be tested one last time to determine if there is any Minimal Disseminated Disease (MDD). It has been negative (or clear) every single time we've done it the past few years. This has given me significant comfort in concert with his scans, even though the test is not yet widely used for lymphomas. 

They did accelerate us to make the courier and Ollie was a complete champ. We did it so quickly that we forgot to ask for the freezing spray that numbs his arm before the poke and he didn't even make a peep and only mentioned it after we were done, saying his arm was a little sore. From a boy at least 3 of us had to hold down 4 years ago as he kicked and screamed during pokes even with freezing spray, to this calm and capable of handling anything boy. What a transformation.

[Photo Description: A photo of posters in English and French found on the reception desk in the CHEO Medical Day Unit promoting the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and Campfire Circle Family Picnic for oncology families. This is one of the many initiatives that the Oncology PFAC that I am a member of has organized to connect with and make cancer care easier for new families.]

On to oncology where we had a final checkup and they told me this was really it...that there would be a check in once a year, but no scanning unless there were symptoms and they were a phone call or an email away, but didn't need to see us again unless we really needed them. I admit I got teary and a little fear gripped my heart all of a sudden. I've felt somewhat this way each time we reached a new milestone where we'd reduce the frequency of visits, but this was really the last one. They consider him to be well and completely stable and no longer in need of them. After my panic and tears I used my best Kids Kicking Cancer Canada power breathing to help the panic pass. We gave big (masked) hugs to our post transplant clinic Nurse Julie who has taken amazing care of us the past two years, and helped me through more moments of panic than I could count simply by responding quickly and getting us access to whatever we needed to keep him well. She is one of the most responsive health care practitioners I've ever met and she has been such a blessing to us.

[Photo Description: Ollie eats a sub at the Oasis Cafe at CHEO]

From there we had one more of the likely hundreds of subs that we've eaten at the cafe. For whatever reason the food even tasted better today than it usually does.

[Photo Description: Ollie lies on the table and is connected to 13 wires for his routine EKG in cardiology.]

On to cardiology for EKG and Echocardiogram  and I laughed out loud remembering them trying to get Ollie's hospital bed down that corridor after relapsing in his brain. I did not imagine then ever being able to laugh about anything that happened to us during that awful time. Time and doing the emotional work really does heal wounds (as my therapist reminds me).

[Photo Description: Ollie lies on the table for his Echocardiogram as the technician's gloved hand can be seen using the probe during his test.]

Next we popped up to 4 North to say welcome back from mat leave and goodbye to our angel on earth, Dr. Abbott. Our other oncologist angel, Dr. Brianna Empringham is also on mat leave right now. After a short visit, big hugs with Dr. Abbot for Ollie and I. She marveled at how tall and lean Ollie was since she last saw him a year ago (he's lost 22 pounds since stopping the Lorlatinib a year ago and built a lot of muscle playing all of the sports he plays, plus he's still in the 97th percentile for height for his age). She told me I was a great hugger. I could hug her forever and never let go after all she's done for our family. LOL Grateful to have also seen a bunch of our incredible nurses, our favourite pharmacist and one of our child life specialists, too.  

We were too busy hugging our team in MDU and 4 North  to take pics! And as they all reminded us, we'll see them in October at the SIOP international oncology conference that CHEO is hosting and Ollie and I are speaking at on patient-centred care. I teased Dr. Abbott that they asked us because I was clearly not afraid to ask for what we needed. Dr. Abbott told me that I always asked in the nicest and most respectful, yet assertive way, and she thought I should be teaching a class to all little girls so that they'd all get what they needed as they grew up. As an outspoken person who has often been concerned that she is seen as too loud or brash, I was flattered that she saw me that way. She's done everything I asked and more for 4 years. Not once did she ever say no to any of my ideas or make me feel like I wasn't an equal partner in Ollie's care team. She always left us in good hands when she couldn't be with us and doesn't take any credit for her leadership in helping him to survive. She could ask virtually anything of me and I'd do it for her in a heartbeat, no questions asked. She thanked us for the visit, wished Ollie a good start to his school year next week and promised she'd see us in October at SIOP.

Next was the requisite visit to the gift shop. And for once my brave boy left empty handed because he already had all of the Lego sets that he wanted and couldn't rationalize me spending $8 on the world's tiniest harmonica that he'd admired. So he picked a CHEO shirt for daddy to match the one he himself already had and left happily. He's maturing so nicely and better understanding that while it's nice to have things, what matters most is having the best people in your life. 

We had one final stop before we could leave. Ollie indulged me and went along with going back to the CHEO playground we'd stumbled upon on our very first day at CHEO during testing before diagnosis on October 22, 2019. 

The playground is located behind the main building of CHEO, near the Children's Treatment Centre and Roger Neilson House. 

[Photo Description: A split photo. In the left is a photo of 7-year old Ollie hanging down headfirst and making a crazy face from the top of the playground slide at CHEO on his first day at CHEO for testing on October 22, 2019. The second image is of Ollie standing in front of the same slide with two thumbs up and holding his mobility cane on his last official day of oncology and post transplant treatment, August 28, 2023.] 

On that day almost 4 years ago we had zero idea of how much our lives were about to change nor how important CHEO and everyone who worked there would become to us. The 7-year old kid on the left of the photo above (who was not evidently sick or short of energy when diagnosed with stage 3 cancer) was ready to dive headfirst down the slide like the crazy brave kid he always was and used this bravery every one of the last 1,406 days since we started at CHEO. The courageous kid was more subdued this visit and opted to just pose in front of the playground instead of playing on it. A sign of his newfound maturity as he becomes a tween and is slowly moving away from what is left of his complicated childhood.

[Photo Description: A split photo. On the top is a selfie of Ollie and Dawn smiling while sitting on the wooden swing in the Little Garden on October 22, 2019. On the bottom is a photo a passerby took of Ollie and Dawn posing in the same garden beside the Celebration Bell on August 28, 2023.]

Finally, we reached our ultimate destination in CHEO's Little Garden located in the little forested area behind the playground. 

The bell was first rung by Hillary McKibbin to mark her remission of her Aplastic Anemia. Due to the threat of COVID and her being severely immuno-compromised, her family needed a bell that she could ring outside safely, so her incredible mama Kelly McKibbin built one and later donated it to CHEO so that ALL families could celebrate and mark milestones. 

[Photo Description: Ollie holds the string of the Celebration Bell in the CHEO Little Garden, readying to ring it to mark his last official day of oncology and post transplant treatment.]

I met Hillary's mom Kelly online just a few months before Ollie was diagnosed. I'd seen Hillary's story and plea for stem cell donors in the news and her story called out to me and touched me in ways I didn't understand then. I felt called to follow her journey and connect in empathy with her brave mama. Kelly and I had corresponded from time to time for months via Twitter private messages as I sent her encouragement and marveled at their bravery in telling their story so honestly and publicly. When Ollie was diagnosed, Kelly was actually among the first people that I told and we were both shocked that we were suddenly living such similar lives. I believe it was divine intervention that brought us together and we supported each other throughout the pandemic as we both put everything we were into getting our children well, keeping them safe, and encouraging others to donate blood products for kids like ours. 

[Photo Description: A photo of one of the gold plaques with black writing on the purple post of the bell that reads, "Celebration Bell: This community bell is for all families to enjoy. Ring it to commemorate a milestone, a recovery, or an achievement that brings you joy." The text is also translated into French and the CHEO Foundation logo is on the bottom.]

When we found the bell I read every word aloud to Ollie and got choked up as I read these words to him. Today we celebrated the milestone of being done our final of three years of regular oncology checkups, officially being off treatment, fully recovering from his cancer and stem cell transplant, and this was certainly an achievement that brought us joy. And we were marking the occasion on Hillary's bell. I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to end our last official day at CHEO.

We finally made good on our promise to our friend Hillary that we'd one day find her bell and ring it, too. So here we both are ringing the Celebration Bell. We rang the heck out of that bell (but don't worry it's still perfect and ready for many many more celebrations for other families!)!

[Photo Description: The commemorative plaque on the post of the bell that thanks all who contributed to the bell's creation.]

Now realistically, cancer survivors don't ever get to be done with their medical journey. While Ollie is officially done in oncology, he continues to be seen twice a year by endocrinology and his bone specialist for his hypothyroidism and osteopenia. He'll still visit opthamology and his retina specialist at least annually. As big things happen in his life and he transitions through different growth stages where he may be triggered by all that he's survived, we'll still see the social workers or child psychologists when needed. He has a pulmonary function test in September to ensure his lungs are still healthy. Still a lot, but so much less than our normal of the past 4 years. 

And I'm still on the Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC), a Family Leader for the CHEO Research Institute, and a member of the CHEO Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee, so I'll still be part of the active CHEO family. And I'm still a Co-Lead of the Education and Training Matrix for the Canadian Pediatric Cancer Consortium, so am committed to continuing to help make things easier for families at all pediatric cancer centres across the country.

Ollie was randomly emotional yesterday, too. Maybe in part because he felt mine, but there were lots of extra hugs from him and requested by him throughout the day. One day he'll truly understand how his army wouldn't give up on him and saved his life multiple times. He is one of their many successes and miracles.

I feel sad AND happy, AND fearful AND hopeful about reaching this milestone and the ending of a huge part of our lives. We remain so grateful every day for the unbelievable people at CHEO who have helped us to survive so much. They truly treat the whole family and make you feel part of theirs. 

I think the Buddhist Proverb below sums up pretty well how I feel right now. Stay tuned to hear more as we get started on our next new beginning.

[Photo Description: A quote that reads, "In each loss there is a gain, as in every gain there is a loss, and with each ending comes a new beginning. - Buddhist Proverb"]

Clearing Scans, Passing Tests and Accessibility Stories

[Photo description: Mario, Abby, Ollie and Dawn pose in their backyard wearing huge smiles and holding Ollie's hands as they surround him with love. Photos were done as part of the annual #PhotosForPhoebe event in support of the Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation that supported Ollie and family during his stem cell transplant. Photo credit to Anne-Marie Bouchard Photography who donated her time and talent in return for donations to the Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation]

If you've been hesitant to ask us about the results of scans and waiting for us to share, so sorry to keep you hanging! The MRI got delayed by a week due to someone else's emergency. Ollie was upset by the delay at first, but I reminded him that we got bumped because his scans are just routine and that there have been times when he was the urgent case and we likely bumped other people to accommodate him at those times. 

We did have the CT as planned and the doctor was kind enough to call me after I sent an apologetic email on the third day when we hadn't heard, that I was having bad dreams that she was trying to reach me and couldn't and I couldn't stand not knowing anymore. She called and asked me how I was and I said, "I'm okay." and she teased me saying I obviously was not because she just got my email and knew I was stressing out! 😄 She confirmed that the CT was clear and unchanged from a year ago! That helped to ease my anxiety quite a bit, although I knew that the MRI would scan his brain where most of his persistent relapses have been.

[Photo description: Ollie wears a mask and holds a sprayer from a garden hose on Hope 

who looks unimpressed as he gives her a bath at our local Pet Valu DIY pet wash]

He had his MRI three weeks ago and it was anxiety ridden for both of us. I sat watching for an hour and thirty minutes with no clock in the room, no phone and nothing to do but think and fixate. So I prayed and took a lot of deep breaths. Pretty much for the entire time. I prayed for clear scans and patience and healing for us all. I prayed for our army of kind people who came through for us in every way. I prayed for all families admitted to CHEO at that time including our little friend Isaac who was just starting his last admission upstairs on 4 North. I prayed for every kid we have come to know or have known for too short a time before they were taken too young during our own two year journey. I prayed for those brave kids and their families who unfairly battled the unthinkable and couldn't beat it and I also begged God for those that have made it so far to be well. For their families to know joy and normalcy again. And for my son never to have to ever again face death during my lifetime and well beyond.

[Photo description: Ollie sits at the kitchen table making a homemade 

pepperoni and green olive pizza.]

Ollie was great until they had to put his needle in to inject the contrast. He always hates that part. The technicians were as always terrific, but they did end up having to do extra scans of his back, so that took longer and by the end he was hollering at them to get him out before he lost it. By then he was tired, hungry, frustrated and his ears were hurting from the headphones. I honestly don't know how we did these unsedated before when he was on steroids all the time and was angry and impatient! He is a total wonder!  

[Photo description: Ollie sits building Lego mini figures at CHEO while waiting for his CT scan and drinking the contrast. He has to drink 1 cup every half hour and 4 cups in total, so it is a two hour ordeal.]

We found out two weeks ago during his checkup with Dr. Abbott that the MRI shows there is no evidence of disease, so remains cancer free! Thanks be to God! 

The MRI did still show that some inflammation remains in his optic nerves, and it's been 21 months since he went blind! Thankfully they did get a clearer picture of where the damage is including the detached retina on the left that we already knew about and the tear on the right eye that the retina specialist at The Ottawa Hospital suspected. Ollie also had eye ultrasounds and a check in with this specialist two weeks ago, so this should help him to decide what surgery Ollie will need on his eyes in the coming months to clear out that blood from the detachment and the tear, to fix these issues and stop the growth of the new blood vessels from strangling his eyes. We hope to know more in a few weeks. 

The MRI also shows further deterioration in his lower spine and right hip, but again we are being followed by the endocrinologist and bone specialist who have done other scans this summer and are monitoring this. They'll be sent his MRI and consulted to see if we stay the course or may need to consider treatment (injections) to help increase his bone density. 

[Photo description: Ollie wears a mask, a hospital gown and hospital pants, sitting in CHEO imaging with his white cane while waiting for his latest MRI]

We also did a special blood test called the Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) test. MRD refers to cancer cells remaining after treatment that can't be detected by other scans and tests. These cells have the potential to come back and cause relapse.. I had heard of this through other ALCL parents in the UK and Europe and asked our oncologist to see if we could it, too. As with most medical tests it is not an absolute answer. When looked at in concert with imaging scans like an MRI and CT, it can be a marker for whether additional treatment is needed at this time or not. 

Dr. Abbott as always listened to my request to do this even though it isn't typically done in North America very often or in very many places. She took the information that I gave her about other experts in the U.S., Germany and England who do this, contacted them and arranged for Ollie's sample to be sent to and analyzed in Germany. They agreed to analyze his sample and provide results for free and he became part of an ALCL study there as well. We thought we'd have to pay out of pocket to have the sample couriered to Germany, but Dr. Abbott asked OHIP and they agreed to pay for the sample to be sent! It just reinforces what I've learned over the past two years - if you don't ask, you don't get. 

 

I got a brief call from Dr. Abbott during one of her exceptionally busy days this week and she confirmed that his test result was negative. Meaning no evidence of any remaining cancer cells in his body! This is great news, but as always we remain cautiously optimistic as it is no guarantee that if we did the test again in future it wouldn't be positive. It also causes us to have to think about what we do next as Ollie remains on an ALK inhibitor drug and at some point we need to decide if we take him off and see if the transplant and the drug have been enough to kick cancer out for good, if we stay the course and remain on the drug for the full planned 2 years or potentially reduce his current dosage to see if we can reduce his weight gain, water retention and ease some of the anxiety that the drug sometimes causes for him. 

We have friends in the UK who recently took their child off of the drug and there was a relapse within a few months. That said their chimerism never reached 100% after transplant with an unrelated donor. We also know another family with a child in the U.S.A. whose child went off of the drug 6 months ago after over a year post transplant with an unrelated donor and 100% chimerism and they are doing great. It is so difficult to be making rational decisions without adequate data and case studies to do so. Few understand what it is really like to be making life or death decisions for their child. You'd think we would be getting pretty good at it, but it never gets easier. We'll be having another discussion with Dr. Abbott soon to determine the way forward. As always, we will share more info when we can. 

[Photo description: Ollie stands in front of the skate park at The Yard wearing a mask, a helmet and safety pads while holding his white cane and his skateboard]

In other (less stressful) news, I posted on social media recently about Ollie starting skateboarding lessons at The Yard and how the owner was keen to learn from Calgary's ALT Route accessible skate park project to help find safe ways for Ollie to skateboard, too. Anthony and Jordan at the Yard are good humans who just wanted to help give a blind cancer/stem cell transplant survivor kid a chance to do again what he once loved. 

I'm going to write a separate blog piece on how they're doing this with him soon, so stay tuned! For now you can imagine how happy this makes Ollie and how incredible it is for all involved to see him get back to something he is so passionate and fearless about. 

You should also check out this awesome documentary about ALT Route! 

[Photo description: Ollie and Hope wearing their CNIB gear visit the CNIB Canine Centre and greet an employee with the Canadian Animal Blood Bank.]

Recently Hope became another hero in our family (or perhaps just a bigger one since we already thought she was a hero for all she does to help Ollie) when she donated blood at a clinic organized by the CNIB Guide Dogs team at the CNIB Canine Centre in Carleton Place to help out the Canadian Animal Blood Bank. You never think about dogs needing blood in emergency situations, but they do, too and due to COVID their bank has been nearly empty until donor clinics have once again been allowed. COVID protocols were followed so we didn't get to be with her during her donation, but Miriam and Lucie at the Guide Dogs program were there to help her through it and she was so excited to see them again! She did great, donated an entire pint and is a universal donor! We are so proud of her! She also had a fun puppy playdate after as our fellow Buddy Dog duo Connor and June were also there at the same time. 

[Photo description: Ollie holds his dog whistle while Buddy Dog Hope sits at his feet and Buddy Dog June stands beside her waiting for a command.]

She and Ollie have also been invited to be part of the CNIB's float for the Carleton Place Christmas Parade on November 27th! Ollie is pretty excited about this, especially since it looks like we'll get to meet Ray (Hope's brother) and his handler at the parade! 

Hope and Ollie now have their own Instagram account (@cnib_ollies_hope) where we post shorter updates more frequently if you want to follow along there as well!

[Photo description: Abby sits on the sofa while a boom microphone hovers in front and above her during her interview for the new AMI-TV series We Are One]

We also agreed last spring to share Ollie's story of becoming blind with the Accessible Media Inc. (AMI-TV) team to be profiled in an episode of their new series, We Are One. Originally we were going to shoot it this summer, but COVID as usual delayed things and so we shot it just a couple of weeks ago. Interviews were done with us at home observing COVID protocols as we knew all crew members were double vaccinated. I think that the interviews are among the best and most honest we have ever given. 

 

[Photo description: Ollie and his skateboarding instructor Jordan walk up a ramp in the skate park towards a sign on the wall that reads, "The Yard" while the videographer and sound technician capture the moment.]

Chris Vallee is the host of the show and we "met" him online last spring because his story of overcoming an eating disorder as a teen thanks to a CHEO program was also profiled as part of the 2021 CHEO Telethon which Ollie was also featured in. He put us at ease right away and I felt grateful to have another CHEO success story telling Ollie's. Abby in particular responded so well to Chris. I watched her interview and was moved to tears so many times by the raw honesty that she displayed. As a teen now it's harder to be publicly vulnerable and I had given her permission and warned them that she may opt not to answer some of their questions if she preferred not to. As usual my children's strength left me in awe as she answered every question thoughtfully and purely as her best self. When Abby was done and she'd gone back up to her room to return to her teen life chatting online with friends, both the producer and the sound technician commented on how moving her interview was (and they see a lot of interviews). The crew was awesome and the sound technician later told me how much he loves working for AMI because of the compelling stories they tell and the amazing people he gets to meet like us! 

[Photo description: Ollie is second from the right with the ball while playing road hockey with friends Magnum, Will, James, Elias and Lewis in the school yard. The boom microphone can be seen overhead in the foreground.]

As part of the b-roll (fancy production speak for background images and video that they use as visuals while they use your voice from your interview over them) that we shot we took them to The Yard for one of Ollie' s skateboarding lessons, got some of Ollie's buddies from school together to play a game of road hockey (using his audible ball as he does at school) and they filmed part of one of Ollie's chess lessons with Josh. 

[Photo description: Ollie and Josh play chess masked in his playroom while the videographer and sound technician capture it.]

Abby, Mario and I are all doing well and keeping busy. Flu shots will be done for all of us as of tomorrow when Abby gets hers. It's heartening to see people going out and getting them more eagerly this year as a result of a heightened awareness of the need to take care of each other and trying to keep each other well and staying at work and school. 

As I reflect that on this day two years ago Ollie had his biopsy that would finally reveal what the bump was on November 19th, 2019, I am still brought to tears often by how much our little family has been through. Despite everything we are mostly happy, healthy and together. I am eternally grateful that we've made it thus far and so proud of all of us for working through it.  

Precious Time-Wasting Wisely

Ollie has been begging to go on vacation pretty much since he got sick two years ago. In fact our last official vacation was this week two years ago at Mont Tremblant. So it seemed time to live a bit and enjoy the life we fought so hard to have these past two years.

Photo description: Mario, Ollie (who is wearing a dive mask), Abby (wearing goggles on her head and Dawn sit at a patio table having lunch outside of an outdoor pool.

On the same trip to Mont Tremblant two years ago we were blissfully unaware of the cancer that was about to turn our entire life upside down. 

Photo description: Dawn, Mario, Ollie and Abby take a selfie at the Mont Tremblant Mini Golf Gazebo in July 2019 just before Ollie's lymphoma bump appeared on his neck.

In the summer of 2019 we had arranged to be in Mont Tremblant at the same time as dear friends Maria, Sofia and Micheline. We had a blast running around the village with them for a few days playing laser tag, going down the luge ride, paddleboating and so much more. 

Photo description: Dawn, Sofia, Micheline, Maria and Abby in vests and holding laser guns at Mission Liberte Laser Tag in Mont Tremblant on July 2019.

I feel like this might have been the foreshadowing of how close we'd all become in the following months when we learned that Ollie was sick. Maria and Mich were among our first visitors in hospital and were a constant support over the past two years. 

In addition to everything else that they did, they had a particularly important role in bolstering my faith in God during this journey and reminding me that He was always with me and sending me incredible angels like them and so many others to help us. Sofia has also been a dear friend to Abby and Ollie throughout this journey.

Photo description: Ollie lies covered up in blankets on a radiation table at Princess Margaret Hospital readying for total body radiation before stem cell transplant with the radiation machine above him and green lasers focused on his body.

Last year at this time we had just arrived back in Toronto after getting Ollie back into remission. We were  preparing for transplant and Ollie was undergoing total body radiation at Princess Margaret Hospital/Sick Kids this same week before being admitted for chemo and then transplant. Incredible where we are versus where we've come from these past two years.

Getting back to this year, naturally we checked all COVID statistics and protocols before deciding to go to Mont Tremblant this week.  My friend Leila has been living with her husband and kids at their cottage there all winter to keep them safe from COVID and assured me that the area was still very quiet and there are zero active cases in this region and only 75 active cases in all of Quebec! Given this and the fact that the #TwoDoseSummer for Ontario COVID vaccines seems to be working (Abby got her second shot last week), we indulged Ollie and booked a week away. It's also an early celebration of his transplant anniversary coming next week. 

Photo description: Abby after getting her second COVID-19 vaccine at the Queensway Carleton Hospital Vaccine Clinic in June 2021.

Packing and getting ready for the vacation was somewhat reminiscent of our last trip, which was to Toronto for transplant. This made me feel anxious. Like we've been here before, but the uncertainty of what we'd be facing as far as risks and keeping Ollie well were enormous again, even though they're not in comparison. That's the crummy part about PTSD...any little trigger can make you feel the full weight of your past trauma and anxiety like it is happening again, even when it isn't. But I'm learning to handle it and do hard things anyways. Deep breaths, Dawn. 

Ollie's well. The oncologist cleared him to go on this trip and even to go back to school if COVID numbers remain low in the fall, so we're all going to be okay and the risk is low and worth taking for mental health in other ways. Thank goodness I saw my therapist at the beginning of last week! She helped to affirm all of this and to remind me that it's still okay that I feel how I feel and normal given our circumstances.

Photo description: Mario and Ollie play a magnetic go fish game while on vacation in Mont Tremblant on July 2021.

We arrived last Saturday evening after Ollie and Mario slept blissfully the entire way and Abby and I sang girl songs of empowerment from the playlist that we made before our big trip to Toronto in March to get her assessment for transplant done at Sick Kids. Sometimes I listen to songs on our playlists made to get through hard things and I feel euphoric, other times nostalgic and sometimes just weepy and overwhelmed with what has happened. Some may think or  have asked, "Why would she WANT to listen to/read/talk about anything from those difficult times?!" Honestly it's my way of processing. It seems to be Ollie's, too as he repeatedly asks to great his "Bye Bye Lymphoma" playlist. I sometimes still tear up at certain songs remembering hard moments when those songs were playing, but I have always been affected by music that way, too.

I have experience in my family of people having gone through trauma and pushing it away into the deep recesses of their minds and hearts. They never talk about it (others in the know whisper about those times, which is how I am aware of them) and pretend that it never happened. But it's clear that it affects them, their judgement and relationships every day of their lives. Ignoring it doesn't make the trauma any less stressful or crippling. In fact it can make other aspects of your life worse as you repress the trauma and anxiety. Often it's caused other personal issues like addictions, casting the entire family into a cycle that is very hard to break. After everything else cancer has taken from us these past two years I cannot let it permanently take my mental and emotional health nor my children's. So I'll keep taking about it and remembering (maybe a little less frequently publicly going forward if stability continues) to try to recover from it all and leave space in my mental health for wellness.

 Photo description: Mario, Ollie and Abby play in the pool in Mont Tremblant while Dawn takes a selfie from poolside in July 2021. 

The week away was lovely. There were far fewer people there than we imagined, COVID protocols were effective and followed and we generally felt safe while out for the first time in what seems like forever (remember that Ollie was sick 6 months before COVID hit). We spent most of the week walking, swimming and just resting. I even went out to buy groceries in person...first time I've done that in about 5 months as we still get everything delivered.

Photo description: Ollie and his friend James play air hockey in Mont Tremblant.

As a bonus, on the first day, we bumped into dear friend of Ollie's James from school and his family where we were staying! It was lovely to see them all and we got to have a couple of "playdates" with him before they left after their long weekend away. Since all activities including the Arcade had to be booked, were limited to few people and were cleaned in between, it was easy to limit our potential exposure to COVID.

Photo description: Ollie, Mario and Abby swim in the pool while Dawn takes a selfie of them all from the deck.

You had to book a one hour time slot at the pool and several days we were the only our almost the only ones there! Ollie was in his glory and we were able to finally give him something he's been begging to do for 20 months - swim in a public pool with no PICC (a central line he had in during treatment for blood draws and IV meds as needed)! We were all able to really get in and enjoy it because there was such low risk and even the few that were in the pool with us certain days were very respectful and kept their distance. 

We did do one interview with the incredibly kind Katherine Dines from Ottawa's Move 100 to talk about the upcoming blood donor clinic (see info later in this blog) in honour of Ollie's one year anniversary of his stem cell transplant and the #OlliesPizza that continues to be available from Gabriel Pizza in support of childhood cancer families through Candlelighters Ottawa. And our update piece with Canadian Blood Services for the transplant-iversary came out last week, too. We continue to be humbled by the interest in our story and the opportunities to promote awareness of childhood cancer and blood products donation.

Back to the vacation...at Ollie's request, he and I went up to the village one day to try to do something fun. Mario and Abby preferred to relax in our vacation home with Hope. So off we went to the village, taking the open gondola to the top to make it easier for Ollie not to have to walk all that way. Getting Ollie in the gondola while blind was a new experience, but he did it like a champ and I was grateful to the operators who had given me the signal that they had seen his white cane and were watching closely and prepared to press the stop button if we needed it. We didn't and Ollie and I were pretty proud of ourselves. I am constantly grateful for how his white cane creates awareness and accommodation when he needs it.

Photo description: Ollie and Dawn wear masks on the open gondola with wind in their hair while riding to the top of the Mont Tremblant village.

Ollie is like me and LOVES amusement rides and new adventures. So he was so joyful during that ride up. I described everything we were passing and while I still wished he could see it himself, I was grateful that he'd been before and had pictures in his head already about how beautiful it all is. 

When we got to the top, he wanted to try the luge. I had already called ahead to inform them that I was bringing my blind son and to see if we could ride together. They said we should check directly with the operator. Sadly, the staff there said we were too big to fit together. Grateful that I had prepared Ollie for this possibility, I assured him we'd find something else fun to do. 

Photo description: A Mont Tremblant staff member helps Ollie into a harness while sitting in a trampoline at the Eurobungy ride.

So off we went to the Eurobungy. Thankfully there were no lineups anywhere! A sure sign that things are not yet normal up there. 

I was nervous about him doing it with his blindness. He can get dizzy and nauseous almost like having vertigo at times as is normal for blind people who don't have the horizon  focus on to help with their centre of balance. I had thought ahead and brought his anti-nausea meds just in case (he hadn't taken any in months he's been so well). Also, I was a bit nervous about his back and hip. His bone density issues continue and while he generally feels little or no pain, I wasn't sure if this would hurt him. He just had bone density scans last week and I knew his hip was a bit better and his back a tiny bit worse. He sees the endocrinologist and the bone specialist on July 22, so hopefully we'll know more about next steps then. In the meantime I reminded myself that the risk is still low and that we got him well to let him live and I need to put aside my fears and desire to bubble wrap him now and just let him be a normal kid.

The young man who helped him into his harness had seen him come in with his white cane and understood immediately that he was blind and would need very clear verbal instructions and reassurance. He was so kind and gentle with Ollie, taking special care to keep him safe and to make it fun for him. I could have hugged him.  His name was Zach. Whoever his parents are should be so proud of what a kind and respectful man they have raised.

Ollie had a blast! It took him a few bounces to get the feel for it on his feet to know when to brace for them to hit the trampoline, but as in all things our brave warrior figured it out quickly and was soon laughing out loud in delight. I was in tears and was glad the sun was in my eyes so I could blame that instead of my emotions for once. Zach and I asked several times if he felt okay and he assured us he felt great. The timer went off and Zach (knowing how happy Ollie was and that there was no lineup of kids waiting for their turn behind him) says he didn't pay attention to timers and let Ollie bounce a bit longer. When it was done he gently helped Ollie out of his harness, told him how great he'd been at it and wished us a great day. He'd already made it perfect for us. 

Photo description: Ollie is strapped in a harness and bouncing in the air off of a trampoline while holding on to the bungy cords on each of his sides. The sky is very blue with fluffy white clouds and there is no line up for the ride.

Ollie was so thrilled with the whole experience and proud of himself. Once again he'd done something scary and difficult in his constant darkness and conquered it in every way. He felt like a "normal" kid. After that I offered him several other options, but he told me that had been enough excitement and he was ready to head back to our condo. 

Photo description: Ollie makes a move on his Tactile Chess Set on the table in front of him while playing with Mario on the sofa.

Photo description: CNIB Buddy Dog Hope looks at the beautiful lake and mountains behind her while Dawn crouches beside her and takes a selfie while on a walk in Mont Tremblant.

On the last day we went to our friend Leila's cottage (while she was in Ottawa with her kids swimming in our backyard to beat the heat!) to use her lake and boats. 

Photo description: Abby and Ollie sit in a yellow paddle boat on the water while Mario and Dawn prepare to push the boat out and get on. All are wearing life jackets.

It was a beautiful day and the kids were excited to get on the water. We paddled around for a while. Then Abby and Mario swam a bit while Ollie fished and I just enjoyed the serenity. Hope had already had a swim and settled down in the boat next to Ollie while he fished. He caught nothing, but was happy just to do it.

 Photo description: Mario and Abby stand in the water holding the paddle boat while Hope lies in the boat beside Ollie as he fishes.

Finally we enjoyed a picnic on Leila's back deck, at her suggestion used her facilities and tried out the electronic drums and headed back to our condo after a fun day. Many thanks to Leila and Adam for allowing us to use their home away from home.

 Photo description: Ollie sits at an electronic drum kit with drumsticks in his hands while wearing his hat backyards and sunglasses.

All in all, a great if quiet vacation (at least compared to our typical vacations of past) and much needed time to rest and start to slowly rejoin the world. We remain hopeful yet cautious as we watch and see what the fall will bring as far as COVID is concerned.

Before I wrap this up, just a reminder that we are doing a blood donor drive in Ollie and Abby's honour this week to celebrate Ollie one year anniversary of his stem cell transplant. 

To join our campaign, simply:

1. Register or sign in if you're already a donor and have an account.

2. Select "Partners" from the menu.

3. Search "Donate for Ollie & Abby".

4. Book an appointment to donate. If you can't make it between July 19th to 24th, it still counts, so make it in a few weeks or even months and still be counted!

If you prefer you can also call 1-888-2- DONATE and ask to be added to the "Donate to Ollie & Abby" campaign that week. 

If you can't donate, please share this with others who might.

 Photo description: A Canadian Blood Services (CBS) poster reading "Honour Abby's Be A Hero Day by donating blood" with a photo of a masked Abby standing in front of the CBS office sign near Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto days after Abby made her stem cell donation for Ollie in March 2020.

You will hear from me again soon as I planned a special post this week for the one year anniversary. Until then, enjoy every moment of your health, remember to continue to be safe and observe COVID precautions for kids who can't get the vaccine yet and immuno-compromised people like our Ollie and practice gratitude. We all have a lot to be thankful for, even when it may not seem like it.