THUNDER BAY -- Kellie Huffman hopes no parent has to go through what she has.
Her daughter Bronwyn has spent the past few years in countless medical battles, starting with her fight against cancer.
That’s why she organized the first annual Gold Walk, a charity event to show support for those afflicted with childhood cancer and to raise funds for better treatments. Many of the children wore gold or dressed as superheros.
“Cancer is the No. 1 killer in this country of children over the age of one,” Huffman said before the start of the walk. “The treatments tried to take our daughter away from us and we’re lucky she survived.”
Bronwyn had just completed her final cancer treatment, which consisted of intensive radiation and chemotherapy, before she went into heart failure.
That resulted in a second battle for her life as she underwent a heart transplant.
There has to be a better way, Huffman said.
“I knew I had to do something, big or small, to try to raise awareness to impact our governments to say we need to invest more in our children,” she said.
With the walk being in its first year, Huffman wasn’t sure what kind of turnout she would see. She knew she would have family and friends but said she was overwhelmed to see complete strangers. People met at Hillcrest Park before walking down to the Bay-Algoma area.
Fellow families who have gone through adversity have developed a bond.
“They get the situation like nobody else does,” Huffman said. “We’re planning on starting a support group for parents of childhood cancer here in Thunder Bay because it was something we really relied upon when we were in Toronto and London for treatments.”
Douglas and Carolyn Anderson too have been impacted by childhood cancer, when their now 10-year-old son Micah was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer last summer.
“Last year we were just getting ready for school and being busy and then all of the sudden you’re a part of the cancer world,” he said.
“We didn’t know a lot about childhood cancer other than maybe somebody who had leukemia or something. Now that we know we’re trying to help spread awareness that it’s prevalent and needs more research money.”
The toll that surgery and multiple treatments has had on Micah has been extensive.
However, his spirit hasn’t changed.
“He’s been very brave and very positive all along,” Anderson said. “It took a lot out of him but he came through it really well and we’re just so grateful.”
