It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: your once-healthy, vibrant child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. For eight-year-old Richmond resident Karalyn Giron-Plante, that diagnosis was a cancerous brain tumour.
Now, Karalyn’s community has joined together to raise money for her recovery. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at James Whiteside Elementary, friends of Karalyn’s family are hosting a community fair complete with crafts, snacks, business tables and activities for all ages. Funds are also being raised online.
Last fall, after starting grade three, Karalyn’s symptoms began to show and over the Christmas holidays, her health declined rapidly. According to the family’s fundraising page, her parents, Juan and Katelyn, took her to emergency several times but it wasn’t until Jan. 3 at B.C. Children’s Hospital that thse received a CT scan and was diagnosed with a aggressive grade three brain tumour.
“As a parent watching your child suffer is one of the most painful experiences, but being told your child has a brain tumour is absolutely devastating,” the fundraising page says.
On Jan. 5, Karalyn had brain surgery to remove the tumour, but the pathology report that followed showed the tumour was cancerous.
The machine needed to treat Karalyn is not available in Canada and so she and her family have gone to Seattle for the next two months. Funds raised at Saturday’s event and through the online campaign will go directly to the family to cover the costs of accommodation, food, transportation and after school care for Karalyn’s siblings. Karalyn’s mother is unable to work while her daughter is receiving treatment which has been difficult for the family of five.
“Cancer is expensive and we need to explore every option available to keep her healthy and give her a fighting chance,” Karalyn’s fundraising page said. “Together with the help of individuals like you we can beat this disease!”
For more information on Saturday’s fundraiser, including how to volunteer, visit the Whiteside Elementary PAC Facebook page or call 604.668.6209.
