The holidays can be a very challenging time for a family affected by Childhood Cancer, especially for the child going through treatment. This time of year is always an emotional time for our family, as it was over the holidays in 2013 that we started to see changes in Ethan which quickly led to his Leukemia diagnosis.
For the next 3 Christmases following that time, Ethan was on treatment. He was in and out of hospitals, on numerous medications and chemotherapies which led to him experiencing countless side effects and, because of his suppressed immune system, we had to miss a lot of holiday events and get-togethers in order to avoid germs and illnesses.
The holidays were tough.
But one thing we could always count on during Ethan’s visits to the hospital was the joy he experienced when given a holiday gift. Seeing his smile and excitement always gave our family some peace and normalcy. We never took this generosity for granted and we know it always meant the world to E as well.
We are excited to kick-off the “3rd Annual Super Ethan’s Steps Gift Giving” for children on treatment for Cancer at Windsor Regional Hospital. From now until Monday December 3rd, we will be collecting new, unused toys as well as monetary donations. All of these donations will go toward providing each child on treatment with their own personalized Christmas gift.
Last year, we were able to provide over 25 beautiful gifts as well as gas cards for each of these families to help with travelling expenses over the holidays. The generosity from our community was incredible.
What was more incredible was seeing these children’s faces when they opened their gifts, hearing the thank you’s from their families and being a small part of that joy I explained earlier.
If you are interested in donating or have any questions, please contact us through Facebook or email at superethanssteps@gmail.com
We are planning on delivering the gifts to the Pediatric Oncology Unit the week of December 10th – just in time for the holidays!
As always, THANK YOU for your time, your kindness and your support.