Charlie, about the hosting in the playroom
The games are super cool! And Caroline and Nathalie teach me how to play the games I don’t know. Sometimes, they do face painting, and it’s super pretty. It makes me ticklish instead of hurting me.
About Leucan’s services
Emotional support and assistance
The verdict fell on February 13, 2015: the cancer was back. We were a wreck. Yes, our family was there, but it wasn’t enough. What saved us was the staff of Leucan entering our room to explain, to comfort, and to simply tell us that the team was there for us. It was like a salve on our hearts because in that moment, we were devastated and we just needed someone.
Socio-recreational activities
It’s difficult because I have to forbid many things to Charlie: no public swimming pool, no spray park, no water slides, and watch out for sun exposure… That’s why we go to the Summer Camp because at the camp, for one full week, nothing is forbidden. The four of us always look forward to the Camp. During the activities, surrounded by other parents, we feel understood. We even built a network of friends. We laugh, we cry, we trade stories, we understand. We established strong bonds—it’s indescribable.
Financial assistance to families
We receive a monthly allocation from Leucan. It covers the cost of gas to get to the hospital and the parking fees. During the five or six weeks of Charlie’s hospital stay, my husband and I had to take turns watching over our other little 4-year-old girl. Neither one of us could work at all over that period… Leucan also donated $500 in gift cards to the grocery store and the drugstore, which helped us tremendously.
Hosting in hospital playrooms
Thanks to Leucan, Charlie has access to a beautiful room for games and crafts at Sainte-Justine. Charlie gets her treatment every week on Friday and it’s going very well. We went through harder times, but now, she adores going to the hospital because she manages to forget about injections and treatments while she’s in the playroom.
School Awareness Program
Lorraine came into the classroom to raise awareness about cancer. There was not one peep from children: they were all so attentive. Following that session, Charlie received far less questions from friends about her hair loss. On the contrary, they took her under their wings, wanting to take care of her.
Charlie: Lorraine came into the classroom to tell us a story! It was the story of a little chick that had leukemia, so they had to cut and shave its feathers, but then the chick recovered and the feathers grew back. When I went back to school after that, I said, “I have beautiful feathers, too, just like the little chick!”
Massage therapy
Because of her treatments, Charlie’s legs are very sore, so she gets massages provided by Leucan. She discovered her love of massages at the hospital. Leucan gave us tips on how to manage pain at home. Sometimes I give Charlie a massage before she goes to sleep and we even initiated her sister, Ève. It’s really soothing. Now, Charlie is happy to get punctures because she knows it will be followed by a massage!
Charlie: The thing I love the most about Leucan are the massages! I flip out when I get one: it feels so good!
How do Annie, Charlie and their family give back to Leucan
The Leucan Shaved Head Challenge
Charlie: Since I’ve been ill, my parents are not alone… Leucan gives them moral and financial support, but it also funds research so that I and all my friends at the hospital can recover.
I look forward to the Leucan Shaved Head Challenge to see tons of people get a pretty, bald head like me!
Charlie was the child spokesperson of the Leucan Shaved Head Challenge in Montérégiein 2016.
