Help Manal raise money

As a mother you want to do everything in your power to help and protect your children. If they are playing outside and scrape their knee you clean it, put a bandage on it and give them a hug to make it all better. On August 31, 2015 I faced my worst nightmare. My son Elias was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This was something I could not put a bandage on and make all better. Elias was quickly admitted at CHEO (Children Hospital of Eastern Ontario) and underwent a brain surgery and seven months of intensive chemotherapy and radiation. I will not elaborate on how difficult this was to go through for him or how difficult it was to watch as a parent. By the end of March 2016, Elias rang the bell at the children’s cancer clinic, a tradition at CHEO that signifies the end of the cancer treatment. I had never been so excited to hear the sound of a bell as I was when he rang it that day. I don’t think CHEO and all of the doctors, nurses and other staff will ever know how much I appreciated all that they had done for Elias and still do to this day. Research is so important. As much as we would like to believe that no child should have to go through cancer treatment the reality is that some do. The treatment that Elias got was different and better than the treatment other kids have had in previous years due to the advancement in medicine and technology. I am so grateful for that. Which brings us to today… Some have nick named me Mama Bear because I would do anything to protect my children. I am not a runner but I want to do my part in advancing cancer research and help children worldwide. I always tell my children that you don’t get to choose the life you are given to lead, you choose how you want to live it.