After fasting for over 15 hours, little Liam woke up ravenous after surgery. Chowing down before Mom could even slice him a piece of banana bread he scarfed the loaf down nearly whole.
The containers of nutritious home-cooked meals could not have arrived sooner for Liam and his family.
Sarah Bachelder had just given birth to her second son Isaiah, when her two-year-old son Liam started presenting with a fever that wouldn’t quit. Two weeks after his baby brother was born, Liam was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Mom went in for surgery two months later. “It was only day surgery,” says Sarah, “but I couldn’t pick up the kids at all for a week, so Jonathan had to go to the hospital on his own.”
Working fulltime and going to school fulltime, Jonathan managed to spend nights at the hospital with Liam, while Mom tried to hold things together at home with the newborn.
“It was really a crazy year,” recalls Sarah. “Having all that food in the freezer helped take off some of the pressure. We’re pretty independent, but we knew we couldn’t do this on our own, so we took all the help we could get. We are so grateful for all the support.”
Thanks to our volunteer cooks, the Bachelders received all their favourites—Mexican, Indian, Thai and Vietnamese dishes, along with lots of healthy snack foods. They also received freshly baked goods from COBS Bread on 130th Avenue and gift certificates to Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria in Country Hills—two local companies that actively participate in our Cooking and Caring program.
We’re grateful to our volunteer cooks and generous community partners for breaking bread with our families. When we cook, we don’t simply toss in ingredients; we stir and savour, sauté and season, simmer and sample with care and attention. As Cesar Chavez, the Latino American civil rights activist, said, “The people who give you their food, give you their heart.”
Thank you for Cooking and Caring! You helped provide 343 home-cooked meals for families in the throes of childhood cancer. Your nutritious home-cooked meals helped families facing childhood cancer to eat well and spend time together without ever having to worry about what’s for dinner.