Friends and family stand united against childhood cancer
Ottawa once again shows its support for families with flag-raising ceremony
Cradling his three-year-old daughter in one arm while using his free hand, Thomas Geniole was one of several parents helping a group of children raise the Childhood Cancer Awareness flag on the front lawn of city hall Friday morning.
It was Geniole and wife Becky’s first time at the flag-raising event, now in its fourth year.
“We just came back from a stem cell transplant (at the hospital) in February,” said Geniole, referring to his daughter Marnie, who was two when she was diagnosed with what he called one of “the rarest tumours in the world” — embryonal tumours with multilayered rosettes (ETMR).
Geniole said the cells she developed as a baby “went rouge on her.”
Marnie, a rambunctious toddler with a scar on her head, had a feeding tube taped to the side of her cheek Friday.
The family said they recently found out she was tumour-free, although she’s still receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Geniole said he, Becky and Marnie’s five-year-old sister came out to support their “little miracle.” Her parents said she loves to blow bubbles and play with her sister.
A small crowd of other childhood cancer patients, survivors and siblings gathered with their parents for the flag-raising, while deputy mayor Mark Taylor proclaimed Sept. 1 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.
“It’s events like this that give children affected by cancer, their loved ones and those affected a chance to build a community and a sense of support,” Taylor said during the ceremony.
Christopher Lawton — a board member from Candlelighters, a childhood cancer support organization — said he believed it was important the city recognize the significance of childhood cancer.
He said one of the things that affected him most was seeing resilient kids that have gone through hard times come together and have “a happier moment.”
The Geniole family credits Candlelighters with helping their family.
“I was off (work) for a year and Becky was a stay-at-home mom. So we didn’t have any income for over a year,” Geniole said, referring to the financial assistance Candlelighters, several local organizations and the Genioles’ GoFundMe page gave the family.
“Candlelighters really supported us financially and they run a whole bunch of different programs and they educated us on certain situations. They just gave her that support and confidence to know that you’re not alone and you’ll get through it,” Geniole said.
Becky Geniole said she believes there are some issues with how childhood cancer is treated in Canada — including the lack of support when parents have to provide daily care for their children.
“But you just think, I don’t have any kind of medical background and you just kind of learn it as you go. There’s a bit of a lack of support for kids,” she said.
I was off (work) for a year and Becky was a stay-at-home mom. So we didn’t have any income for over a year,