The diagnosis
I had been feeling a bump in my neck for 9 months. I went to the hospital in my neighbourhood and they told me it was allergies. So for 9 months, I was treated on antibiotics and after 9 months, during the holidays, the size of the bump doubled, tripled even, it became huge. After Christmas, I went to the hospital and they did all the tests, open biopsy and in one week they told me: this is it, you have cancer, we will treat you. The fact we waited that long, when I received my diagnosis, I was stage 4.
About the Leucan services
Comfort, inform and guide
It’s nice to speak to people who understand what we say. It’s so difficult for me to blend in with people who haven’t been sick and don’t understand what I’ve been through. They say: oh, yeah, it’s sad. But people from Leucan, you tell them that and they’ll tell you: I’ve been through this too, I understand, it’s the same for me. You feel understood and it feels good. Most people I am close with are people from Leucan I met at the Camp or at the activities. It’s really what I liked the most. And it really helped me.
Financial Assistance
My mother received some. It really helped her. She didn’t want to stop working completely because she was scared she’d be too depressed. I get it, but she couldn’t continue 5 days a week with all the time she was spending with me. She did 2 or 3 days a week. She felt so relieved and she felt a lot less pressure to go work, work, work. It allowed her to be more present for me.
Fight cancer and improve treatments
I am lucky I was born at the right time to be treated like I’m supposed to be. So, for me, research is very important. To give people a chance to live. Without research, some people won’t even survive and some will have sequelae that will impede their development. So to think that research allows us to live, it’s fantastic. To help make children’s lives more enjoyable, so they have less sequelae and so they don’t keep a trace that will impede them in their daily life. It’s fantastic to see the breakthroughs who will improve affected children’s living conditions. It’s really important.
Break families out of their isolation and contribute to their well-being
The Camp last summer was the first Leucan activity I participated in. I went by myself. On the first night, I already felt included. I had a big smile on my face, I had already found where I was going to sleep. It’s so fun, because the first day, everyone talks to you. Everyone is there for the same reason, everyone is happy. It’s beautiful. There won’t be any small groups forming. It’s one big group. Everyone blends in. No one is rejected.
What your donations represent to Leucan and the families
Giving to Leucan, it’s more than just giving money. It’s giving happiness. It’s as if they take the money and transform it into smiles for children. It helps the children so much. The Camp, for example, allows sick kids to be happy and live something. It’s more than just money going into an account and no one really knows where it goes. It goes directly to children, to make them happy. It’s magical!