Our names are Nick and Dina and a little over a year ago, we received the most devastating news of our lives when our
11-year-old son Kingston was diagnosed with cancer. In an instant, our joyful, active boy was thrust into a fight for his life.
Donors’ generosity has improved Kingston’s chances for survival.
Thanks to generous donors like you, our son has access to the latest treatments to help him fight this terrible disease. Donor-funded discoveries and clinical trials have paved the way for families like ours to receive leading-edge care, right here in Manitoba. Still, we have a long way to go before Kingston will be considered cancer-free. And before we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
We are sharing Kingston’s story with you today in hopes that it will inspire you to support Manitobans with cancer this holiday season.
Kingston’s diagnosis came out of nowhere. He was an energetic young boy. And then, quite suddenly, he wasn’t. In the span of a week he went from playing soccer with friends to being tired and weak. His deteriorating health quickly led us to the emergency room.
Within hours of arriving at the hospital, Kingston was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.
We were taken to the intensive care unit where Kingston would spend the next 10 days. Doctors discovered a 14-inch mass on the left side of his chest that left him struggling to breathe. This was the beginning of the fight for his life.
“It was heart-breaking to see him in a hospital bed, hooked up to so many machines.”
Kingston began chemotherapy that very night. For the next month he remained in hospital.
The fevers, exhaustion and nausea he experienced were extreme. He received chemotherapy multiple times a week. He endured painful lumbar punctures and regular doses of steroids.
We never left his side. And we never gave up hope — just as Kingston never stopped fighting.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Kingston was able to return home from the hospital.
Continued chemotherapy meant our lives remained unpredictable. The side effects were awful. Sometimes he couldn’t leave his room or eat for days. We’ve had too many hospital stays to count. Sometimes they were three days, four days, even 10 days long. We lost track of how many emergency room visits we made because his fever spiked dangerously. It was overwhelming.
“We had no idea, until Kingston’s illness, how much we would come to rely on the generosity of others to keep our son alive.”
By donating today, your gift will help discover new ways to treat blood cancers like the leukemia affecting our son. Without ongoing donor support, there is no guarantee discoveries will continue to be made and treatments will continue to advance. What would we do then? We can’t bear the thought.
We hope you will consider making a gift today to ensure children like Kingston continue to receive the leading-edge care they need.
Recently, Kingston completed the most intense part of his treatment, but his immune system was ravaged. His blood counts dropped so low that we had to wait for them to rise before he could move forward with the next phase of chemotherapy.
At the end of the summer, we learned he was strong enough to begin the next stage of his treatment.
This would entail a series of daily medications that would continue to combat the cancer cells in his body.
While it’s still very difficult, this is the first time our family has felt anything close to our ‘normal’ life in over a year. After months of isolation from family and friends due to Kingston’s compromised immune system, we are now able to spend time with loved ones again.
I’m sure you can imagine the relief we feel.
Research is the cure for cancer.
Gifts from monthly donors help fund local cancer research. Vital research that may discover a new treatment for leukemias or other cancers. We hope you will consider joining this loyal group of donors with a monthly gift, knowing your partnership may enable important discoveries.
There is still a long road ahead until Kingston completes his treatment in February 2026.
We are grateful to donors like you for advancing cancer care in Manitoba.
Kingston is not out of the woods yet, and every step of the way brings new challenges. This is why it is so important to have your support.
Kingston’s resilience and determination motivates us to stay strong. For now, we are taking things day by day and trying to keep laughter in our home.
You give us hope.
Your gift this holiday season ensures that Manitoba kids like our son Kingston have the best chance to beat their cancer. You enable innovative treatments and enhanced patient care.
Your donation will once again make a difference for so many families like ours.
Our deepest gratitude,
Nick and Dina
