Our Extraordinary

Stephen is back in the hospital as of yesterday due to super high leukemia cells in his body. We also found out he caught a new infection so he is back on IV antibiotics. His doctor says that travel plans may be delayed until his counts stabilize. However they reassured us that, despite his weakened…

Stephen was first diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2008. He relapsed in 2015 and again in 2017. This marks his tenth year battling this disease.   Last year was a tough year for our family. It started with Stephen’s second relapse with AML (acute myeloid leukemia) in January, followed by months of hospital visits due to…

Stephen met with both a naturopath and his haematologist today. Although he is in remission, both doctors still want him to continue with his chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. He is adamantly against having a bone marrow transplant because it is evasive, it is not guaranteed (85% of transplants will relapse in five years), and because his…

It has been a difficult month for the entire team. There was a sense of urgency that engulfed our family right after Stephen was diagnosed; there were a lot of decisions to be made regarding our finances, living arrangements, changes to our daily routine, and child care. In the whirlwind of these practical grown up events,…

Goodbyes are always hard. Goodbyes at a hospital are another thing altogether. Having to explain to your two year old son why Daddy cannot come home was quite difficult. No amount of explanation would satisfy his endless tirade of “But WHY Mama?”  In the end he came up with his own explantation. “Daddy lives in…

On April 18, 2008, Stephen had just arrived in Fort McMurray for a weekend visit. Just as he pulled into the parking lot by my apartment, he received a phone call telling him to go directly to the emergency room at the University of Alberta. The results of his blood work came back and he…