Raising awareness around childhood cancer

Sep 28, 2016 | 2:54 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s every parents worst nightmare, losing a child to cancer. It’s not something anyone wants to think about or discuss, but there are times this sensitive topic needs to be brough to the forefront. 

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating people on the realities of this devestating disease. 

Sadly, critical illness in children is not as rare as some might think, and cases of cancer in children are on the rise. The statistics are hard hitting, something one Kamloops family knows all too well.

Her spunky, loving personality, and determined attitude were inspiring.

“Her doctor’s and nurses at Children’s, they referred to her as their spicy child, just because she was fiesty and she needed to do things in her own way on her terms,” says Allison Donovan, Samantha’s Mom.

WATCH: Full report by Tanya Cronin

In the biggest fight of her little life, Samantha Donovan showed true perseverance. But just 5 months ago, this resilient six year old lost her battle with a rare form of cancer.

“Our treatment options were very limited and it was unlikely her body was going to be able to endure anything else, so we moved her into hospice care at that point and she passed away April 21st of this year.”

Sam was diagnosed with burkitt’s Leukemia two years ago, at the age of four. She underwent 10 months of intense chemotherapy but after a short period of remission, and days after her sixth birthday, the family learned the cancer had spread.  

“She completed another 4 months of aggressive chemotherapy and underwent conditioning in preperation for a bone marrow transplant, we had no awareness until it was our child, and that’s the scary part, it took a long time to actually get a diagnosis for her.”

That lack of awareness is why September is dedicated to educating the public on just how prevelant childhood cancer is. Every year in Canada, 1,000 children are diagnosed with cancer, and Kamloops isn’t immune.  

“In the last 5 years there have been almost a dozen cases which is just astonishing, but there again we’re just becoming more aware of it, so it seems like a lot, currently there are 3 kids from Kamloops that I’m aware of in active treatment,” says Jennifer Harbaruk, Canadian Cancer Society BC & Yukon.

But while research has come a long way, it’s still largely underfunded. The Canadian Cancer Society says kids are being diagnosed earlier, but financial support for survivors following treatment is just as important. 

“In addition to the research, it’s really important we help these kids later in life because 9 times out of 10, they’ll develop some health issue down the road, that’s been directly a result of their cancer and their treatment,” says Harbaruk.

“If our Sam was still here, as she grew up there’s a good chance she would be dealing with heart damage, infertility, endocrine issues and a lot of chemo’s currently used cause secondary cancers as well,” says Donovan.

Samantha Donovan’s family never thought cancer would impact them so directly. They say Sam will be remembered for her spirit, and a little girl who had a passion for life.

“The more awareness we can build up around this, the better chance we can give our kids to go on and live healthy, productive lives,” says Donovan.