Congratulations to the scholarship recipients of 2023!

This June we have the absolute pleasure of awarding 12 young adults scholarships to support them in furthering their educational journeys, and we have the pleasure of sharing these students with you. The Derek Wandzura Memorial Scholarship was named in memory of a charming little boy who, with his smile and engaging personality, would hold the attention of any room. We know Derek would be “thrilled beyond belief to know that this scholarship was in his name,” said his mother Christine Mclver.

Four of these recipients also received Tiana’s Top up which is in honor of Tina Shoebridge who was one of Kids Cancer Care’s first campers. After battling cancer 5 times Tiana Relapsed once again in 2020 at the age of 40. Her life partner Colin Binding established Tiana’s Top up in her memory intended for individuals who demonstrate three virtues Tiana herself lived; supporting her community through volunteer service, bringing hope to others by being positive even in the face of adversity, and encouraging others to strive to be and do better. The recipients of the top up are Amanda Johnson, Baylen Lapierre, Breah McGladdery and Jaxon Leavitt.

Over the last 15 years 208 deserving young people have received over $400,000 in scholarships, and we are so proud to continue that tradition.

AMAN RAVJI

Perseverance is the word that comes to mind when describing Aman Ravji. Diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma in late 2019, Aman has persevered through treatment ever since, never giving up no matter how difficult the situation is.

His strength and perseverance have served him in his leadership endeavours. He is a valuable member of the Kids Cancer Care Teen Leadership Program and his school’s leadership class, volunteering in the community at his local mosque and for children at a daycare. Aman has also shared his wisdom and leadership in the creation and presentation of a TED-Ed Talk on the topic of radical acceptance. Wow!

Aman plans to attend Mount Royal University in the fall where his leadership skills and entrepreneurial drive will thrive in their business program. We would like to wish Aman a huge congratulations, his passion and desire to create something positive in the world are evident and we know from first-hand experience what a positive impact he has made already!

AMANDA JOHNSON

Diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia at the young age of 2, Amanda Johnson was given only a 30 per cent chance of survival. She relapsed at age 4. Defying the odds twice, Amanda now deals with the long-term effects of cancer every day and she overcomes each day with strength and resilience. She is truly an inspiration.

A standout comment from one of her teachers compares Amanda to St. Theresa of Calcutta and St. Therese of Lisieux, consistently putting others ahead of herself while being a ray of light for those around her — even in times of great pain. We see Amandas light, in her volunteer and fundraising efforts in the Teen Leadership Program, in her role as a Kids Cancer Care spokes kid, and a kid coach in our High Hopes Challenge. And we have experienced her light in her poetry.

We know Amanda will continue to shine her light at the University of Victoria. This young woman plans to study sociology while learning from and continuing to help others. It is our pleasure to congratulate Amanda, we have loved being a part of her journey!

ARLO JACOBSEN

At the age of 14, Arlo Jacobsen was diagnosed with Wilm’s tumour. It turned his life upside down. His kidney was surgically removed, and he now faces the physical and psychological impact of cancer. As if cancer wasn’t enough, Arlo completed chemotherapy in March 2020. Just as the world was going into lockdown because of the pandemic and Arlo was looking forward to some normalcy, he faced isolation again. Kids Cancer Care’s Teen Leadership program helped him process, grow and connect at a time when everyone was craving connection.

Arlo is a caregiver by nature. He cares for his 30-some plants, 20-year-old cat, and has earned his certification as a volunteer medical first responder volunteer with St. Johns Ambulance.

This fall, he’ll be stepping into the Bachelor of Nursing program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus. Since the age of 6, Arlo has known he wants to be a nurse. While the motivation and reason may have changed throughout his life, his highest goal has always been to help. With great pleasure we congratulate Arlo! His future patients will be lucky to be cared for by him.

BAYLEN LAPIERRE

Positivity and optimism are two words that personify Baylen LaPierre. He radiates these qualities and so too did his scholarship application. At the age of 13 Baylen was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer, Pineoblastoma. Having a cancer located in the brain near the pituitary gland and ocular nerve has had an impact on learning, but Baylen perseveres and advocates for himself and his education daily.

Baylen plans to become a data analyst as he loves math and numbers. He will be attending University of British Columbia Okanagan campus for a business analytics degree. We can’t wait to see which school Baylen ends up at. His positivity and love of life are contagious, his smile infectious, and his involvement in Kids Cancer Care has made an amazing impact. We would like to thank Baylen for his volunteer service as a Kids Cancer Care spokes kid and as a teen leader!

And most important, we would like to wish a huge congratulations to Baylen! We have loved having him in our community.

MICHAEL ARTHUR

Michael Arthur is a two-time cancer survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A hardcore hockey enthusiast, Michael loved playing before his cancer diagnoses. These days, he enjoys watching his brother compete and catches as many NHL games as he can.

As an active volunteer, Michael shares his love of hockey by supporting the coaching efforts of local hockey teams. This fall, Michael will be eching out time in his busy schedule to pursue a nursing degree at the University of Calgary. We hope Michael’s future brings you scores of opportunities. We know he’ll become an all-star in the nursing field.

JADE KAZAKOFF

In April 2020, after a few months of not feeling well, and going to various hospitals and clinics to determine what was wrong, Jade Kazakoff was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Central Nervous System-3B disease. With the support of her family and the impact of her Beads of Courage, Jade was able to process, accept and share her cancer journey with others.

Throughout high school, and particularly in grade 11, Jade discovered a love and appreciation for construction during a cabinet-making class. This piqued her interest even more, and now Jade has decided to pursue a diploma in architectural technologies at SAIT this fall. We can’t wait to see the future Jade builds! Congratulations, and we wish her the best of luck.

LAUREN CHARBONNEAU

Lauren Charbonneau was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour when she was 2 years old. Also known by her self-declared camp name Clover, her involvement with Kids Cancer Care began at age 6. She has jumped into just about every program ever since. Lauren writes in her scholarship essay that Kids Cancer Care holds a special place in her heart. She says the support and joy we have given her is unmatched, and yet it is she who continually brings US joy.

Fun fact for you, Lauren is also a national-level baton twirler, which has brought her to places like New Brunswick for competition. With a keen interest in Asian culture, Lauren is pursuing a diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

A big congratulations to Lauren as she journeys into this next adventure in life. We have no doubt that she will continue to bring joy to those around her. We happily congratulate Lauren and look forward to witnessing the impact she has on her communities.

BREAH MCGLADDERY

Breah McGladdery was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October of 2022, completing treatment in January of 2023. Breah is described as someone with grit, and nowhere is this is more evident than in her fight against cancer and in her push for safer communities.

Breah serves as a student representative on the Town of Carstairs Community Policing Advisory Committee. The intersection between this committee and her schooling has afforded Breah the opportunity to put into motion proactive strategies and programs such as ‘positive tickets’ at her high school. She plans to continue her education in the policing field by taking the criminology and justice studies program at Lethbridge College.

This educational path has the potential to open a range of career opportunities for Breah where she will continue to impact her community in positive ways. We look forward to seeing the impact Breah will have in the community by creating safe spaces for all to thrive. Congratulations!

JAXON LEAVITT

Residing in Drumheller, Jaxon Leavitt was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2013, which meant a lot of driving to and from Calgary for treatments. It also meant time away from his family, missing his siblings and his home.

Jaxon has taken on many roles in his life, but the ones he loves most are being assistant captain and assistant coach in hockey. These leadership and volunteer roles have helped Jaxon realize that he wants to pursue a career to support himself and his family, but also one in which he can make an impact in the lives of others.

Jaxon has been accepted into the University of British Columbia’s combined degree program in Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Management. Wow! Congratulations to Jaxon, as he takes this big step in his life to pursue his passion for helping others.

KAI VAN DER LOOS

In 2014 Kai Van der Loos was diagnosed with a Soft Tissue Sarcoma that was so rare, he had to fly to Texas for surgery to remove it. Diagnosed in grade 3, Kai did not return to school full-time until grade 7. This impacted Kai’s learning and knowledge.

He took it upon himself to advocate for his need for a tutor and that is how Kai became involved in Kids Cancer Care’s tutoring program. Matched with a Kids Cancer Care tutor a few years ago now, Kai works tirelessly on his schoolwork and time management. He and his tutor initially began their tutoring journey by reading Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief to improve his reading comprehension, but now it is a tradition for them to read a book together each summer.

As with Percy Jackson, he shows immense strength and bravery. As he steps into this next chapter of life, pursuing the university entrance program at Mount Royal University, we are excited to see what the next book, the next chapter and next sentence will bring. Congratulations, Kai!

PAUL SARARU

In 2019, during Paul Sararu’s first few days of high school, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his knee. What should have been a routine X-ray to check on a knee injury from a month prior led to a crisis in his world. After treatment and a total knee replacement, Paul had to pivot his love for all sports and through that found a new passion for one sport in particular, golf.

Paul is dedicated to entrepreneurship, helping to run Joy to Job, a non-profit organization that allows high school students to explore different career paths by connecting them to qualified professionals through webinars. Paul also founded an AI company that helps integrate language models, such as ChatGPT, into educational institutions in a safe and ethical way to encourage learning and curiosity.

With all of this in mind, it is no surprise that Paul is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce, with a specialization in finance at the University of Calgary. We look forward to seeing Paul score a hole-in-one on the golf course and in life! Congratulations!

DR. LESLIE ROBERTSON

We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Leslie Robertson, who has been volunteering on our scholarship committee since 2008. We have been made all the better for her attendance in our community and we are so grateful for her brilliance, insight, and positivity. We truly shine brighter because of her brilliance.

Dr. Robertson will be stepping down from her volunteer responsibilities after this year, and in the spirit of beginning new chapters, we so excited to see what life brings her in these next phases.

A heartfelt congratulations to all our outstanding scholarship recipients, you have earned it! We can’t wait to see what you do in the next chapters of your lives and from everyone here at Kids Cancer Care GOOD LUCK!

Briony was a vibrant, red-headed 16-year-old, who loved practical jokes and pushing people’s buttons. In July 2006, just after moving to Calgary, she started showing signs that something wasn’t right. She was dizzy all the time and was having mood swings, which wasn’t like her. An emergency MRI would forever change her life.

She was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer, Anaplastic Astrocytoma. The tumour was inoperable, so Briony underwent 42 days of radiation with chemotherapy in the hopes of shrinking it.

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Eventually, Briony became allergic to the anti-nausea drug and her organs started deteriorating from the chemo. When her body could no longer tolerate the treatment, she went off all treatment. 

That summer in 2008, Briony and her family enjoyed some much-needed normalcy. They took a Wish Trip to Australia, a place she’d always wanted to visit, and she later flew out to Penticton, to spend time with her friends.  

On November 17, 2008, Briony was given the news that the tumour was in its final, aggressive stage and that she would not have much time left to live. We gathered her friends and family while she was still able to enjoy their company and had a final house party.

On February 14, 2009, Briony passed away quietly at home with her family and puppy with her. We miss her with all our hearts. She is the wind at her mother Lynn’s back as she rides in the Cycle Challenge – Ride of Courage annually in Briony’s honor.

Though we spent many weeks at a time in the hospital, she never lost her sense of humour, often playing jokes on the nurses and doctors. She would help the little kids on the unit, as she felt they were given a raw deal. She dressed up for Halloween and went door to door to their hospital rooms in reverse Halloween, so the little ones who were too sick could have treats too.

Briony’s Mom Lynn

Hey, I’m Stephen Radu, I’m 30 years old, and my journey with cancer started when I was 13.

Years of fun and laughter shared with my family and friends changed in one day.

It was the summer of 2006 and I started having extremely bad headaches, for the first few months, I figured out that a quick nap was the trick to feeling better. I started grade 8 that year and everything felt normal, for a while. The headaches became more frequent, and my parents started taking me to the doctor’s office who would order different tests to determine what was wrong, but none of those tests could pinpoint the cause.

I started to get other symptoms, such as tiredness and nausea, that made it genuinely difficult to focus on schoolwork, and as a grade-A student, this really frustrated me. I had stopped playing soccer and quit my job cleaning at a local auto repair shop, thinking that doing too much was the reason I was getting sick, but that didn’t help to relieve any of my symptoms.

Again, more trips to the doctors with no answers, but one morning in November my mom came to wake me up. I could hardly talk as my tongue was swollen. We assumed it was just an allergic reaction, so my mom got me into the car and drove to the local hospital. After spending the day there, I went to the Red Deer hospital, and underwent a previously scheduled CT scan where a large mass was found at my brain stem. My dad, mom, and I stopped quickly at home to gather a few overnight things and we were off to the Stollery in Edmonton where the doctors diagnosed me with a Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET). Here is where things get hazy for me so I will let my parents fill in the details of my treatments.

“When we received Stephen’s PNET diagnosis on November 24th, 2006, we were in a state of shock, frustration, and anger. We also knew that we were in the right place for his treatment, and that Stephen’s positive attitude would be a huge asset in the battle ahead. He underwent multiple surgeries and had some serious setbacks, the scariest being cerebral mutism, a side effect of his brain surgery.

The worst part of this was that he could not talk for many months, and he lost most motor functions, all of this going on while he went through many rounds of chemo, radiation, and other surgeries. We had doctors tell us that he may never talk again but we knew Stephen better than that and he eventually began to “wake up”.

Since the amazing day at the Children’s Hospital in Calgary where, after four months of mutism, he asked for a drink of water (and later for an orange, a cheeseburger and a question about the $20 bill he’d left in his pants when he was admitted), Stephen made amazing progress toward recovery.

Our family is so grateful for the support we received during those very scary days – from family, friends, our community, and organizations like KCC, who deeply understand the challenges of the cancer journey.

We quickly came to appreciate KCC’s contributions to the daily grind that is cancer treatment including pizza nights, gift certificates for nights out of the hospital, bringing in the Calgary Flame and Stampede’s chuckwagon drivers, and especially Camp Kindle.”

As a result of the surgery, I lost all movement and speech and was unable to go back to school due to a compromised immune system but was given the wonderful support of family and friends offering help and encouragement to me and my family. They came to visit us in the hospital and brought movies, books and magazines for us to occupy our time while my health gradually improved enough to leave the hospital. 

I spent hours in physiotherapy and speech therapy but eventually, I was able to return to school with all my friends that had supported me, and later that year I got to experience camp for the first time with my sibling right beside me!

It seems like a pretty simple thing, but camp is a wonderful place where I could connect with others, have fun, build confidence, and create positive memories after years of difficult times. The emotional support the councilors gave just made everything fun again. I was surrounded by a bunch of kids that were or have been going through the same journey as me and there was an immediate understanding that everyone is just here to have fun and it is a place where you feel “normal”. Every year I looked forward to seeing my old camp pals, and I’ve also made lifelong friendships with some incredible people, as well as a whole list of campfire songs that will be stuck in my head for the rest of my life.

It was in 2010 that things got very cool, until then Kids Cancer Care shared the camp Horizon with other disabled children. That year they bought their own camp near the town of Water Valley, and I was among the first campers at the new, yet to be renovated camp!

It was an amazing time exploring everything the camp had to offer, and I am happy to have been on the team that named the camp, Camp Kindle along with the on-site clinic, Rekindle Clinic!

In 2010 I was chosen to be one of three ambassadors for Kids Cancer Care’s Tour for Kids which is a three-day 300+ kilometer bike ride to raise funds for children with cancer. Together, my dad and I raised $7,220, and with the help of the other riders, a grand total of $287,000 was raised that weekend. Since only 5 per cent of all the cancer research funding in Canada is allocated to childhood cancer, it was great to raise all that money going towards helping young people affected by cancer!

My Dad still cycles in this event every summer, which is being renamed the Cycle Challenge – Ride of Courage, and I am at his side volunteering and supporting all the riders with snacks and cheers. We have met so many amazing people who have been impacted by childhood cancer, they’re my volunteer family!   

My journey with Kids Cancer Care did not stop there as I was then awarded the David Wandzura Memorial Scholarship in 2012, helping me pursue higher education. At that time, I was unsure of my career path, so I started with history and psychology classes and decided business classes were the right way to go!

There are things that I enjoyed before being diagnosed that the unkind effects of cancer treatment took from me. I lost all of my hair because of the chemo and radiation therapy, I find it quite hard to play the guitar due to the deterioration of my fine motor skills, I can’t play soccer and since my balance isn’t the same, I’m unable to ride a two-wheeled bike.

However, everything I lost from Cancer doesn’t compare to what I’ve gained. Many years later, I am proud to say that I am a survivor. I graduated from Red Deer College in 2017 with a business administration diploma majoring in marketing.

I enjoy relaxing and spending time with family and friends, reading books, listening to music, and playing video games.

Cancer changed my life in so many ways, but it also taught me the importance of resilience, and hope!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helps Kids Cancer Care by donating, volunteering their time, or holding fundraisers!

-Stephen Radu