Bringing delight to girl battling leukemia
‘Surprise’ box of goodies from Santa Fund most welcome in home under shadow of illness
Naomi Yuen doesn’t remember what it’s like not to have cancer.
Sitting upright in the corner of an office at Hong Fook Mental Health Service in Scarborough, the 10-yearold doesn’t show any signs of her almost lifelong struggle with leukemia. Her mother, Amy Yuen, says there are some bruises hidden underneath the neon pink sweater, but if they hurt, Naomi doesn’t show it.
Diagnosed at 3 years old, Naomi went through several rounds of treatment, dealing with hair loss and needles before most people learn to read.
Five years later, her black hair has grown back, but she still doesn’t like needles. Those are the parts of the cancer she remembers most.
“It was a lot of needle shots, a lot of medicine,” she said.
Yuen said Naomi’s health problems have been hard for her. Yuen worked as a graphic designer before she had her daughter, but she hasn’t worked since the diagnosis.
“When she was diagnosed, I had to stay home,” Yuen said.
The family has been receiving the Santa Claus Fund boxes for more than three years, Yuen said. They first heard about it through the Hong Fook association, when a health-care worker recommended they sign up for it.
They’ve been thankful for the box every year. Yuen gets mental health support from the centre, mostly related to the stress she deals with on a daily basis. Gestures like the Santa Claus fund, as well as the support from her church and husband, have helped her deal with that stress, Yuen said.
Through an interpreter, she said that seeing the program in action gave them a chance to see “the care from the people in the community.”
Everything in the box — from the clothes to the candy — has been useful for the Yuen family. But it’s the books that Naomi loves best. She loves reading and hopes to one day turn her hobby into a career as a librarian. Originally, the dream was to be a vet, but that changed after her experience during cancer treatments turned her off needles and surgeries.
“I was watching TV, and they talked about doing surgery for cats and animals, and I thought, ‘Never mind,’ ” she said, adding she doesn’t want to put the animals through what she has had to endure.
Though this will be her fourth year as a recipient of the fund, Naomi says it’s still exciting to see what’s in the package.
“The first year, someone just knocked on the door, and I was like, ‘Who is that?’ And someone just comes up with a present . . . it’s always kind of a surprise,” she said.
The next few years will be precarious. With leukemia, Yuen said the preteen years are critical, as there’s a higher risk of the disease coming back.
She checks Naomi for bruises and keeps up with her doctor’s appointments, but apart from that the only thing they can do is wait, and every now and then be surprised by a knock on the door. If you have been touched by the Santa Claus Fund or have a story to tell, please email santaclausfund@thestar.ca.