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December 8, 2017. 

The day the world stood still. It was on this day that I was told that my 3 and a half year old daughter has High-Risk Stage 4 Cancer called Neuroblastoma. She had a baseball-sized tumor over her right kidney, three tumors in her head, cancer had spread to her bones, her bone marrow and her legs, and there was a tumor at the bottom of her spine. Our perfect little world came crashing down. Nothing in life prepares you for a moment like this. 

Sophie has undergone six chemotherapy sessions which run over five days. Sophie has had a 10-hour surgery to remove the most significant tumor. She’s undergone procedures that 99 percent of the people in this world will never experience in their lifetime. She lost all her hair; she lost weight; she couldn’t walk or run. We spent Christmas and New Year’s in the hospital. But the most challenging part of the journey took place at Sick Kids, the Bone Marrow Transplant. Bone Marrow is the part of our body that makes white and red blood cells. In addition to these, it creates something called stem cells which are the building blocks for everything in our body. Since Sophie’s bone marrow was more than 60 percent cancerous, it was required to wipe it all off and then recreate it. 

This was to be done in three steps: 

1. The Stem Cell Harvesting 

2. Bone Marrow Transplant – Round 1 

3. Bone Marrow Transplant – Round 2 

May 17, 2018, was when we returned to Sick Kids for the first round of the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). In this process, Sophie went through seven days of high-dose chemotherapy which wiped out her cancerous bone marrow. On the eighth day, she was given the stem cells which had been collected in January. Next came the hardest 15 days of my life. Due to the high dose of chemo, Sophie suffered with mucositis, which caused sores in her mouth, her food pipe, her stomach and her intestines. She threw up 36 times during this period which was often accompanied with blood in her vomits and her stool. To give you an idea of how bad it was, here are some facts. For grownups the maximum level of morphine (a pain relief medication) that is given is around 5-8 MCG, but for Sophie it was set to 60 MCG. This was just one of the side effects. Sophie could not eat anything, so a pipe was inserted through her nose so she could get her nutrition, but she kept throwing up everything which was given. She lost two to three kilograms in 10 days. The nurses had to use her IV’s to give her nutrition. One of the chemo medications was secreted through the skin, meaning Sophie had to be bathed every two hours, even at night. The other medication had a different side effect; if it stayed too long in the bladder it could corrode the lining it, so Sophie had to pee every three hours. These side effects burned Sophie’s skin from inside. After 10 days of living hell, finally Sophie’s blood counts started to come up; then, after 22 days, we were able to go home. 

Now that I think of it, the nurses and doctors during this stay were nothing short of angels watching over Sophie. A special shout-out to the amazing Campfire Circle team, who were there every day to make sure Sophie enjoyed her stay at SickKids. They played with her, did crafts, made slime, Play-Doh and numerous other things to keep her spirits up. We were then sent home for a month and were supposed to come back for the second round. 

After you have seen your child suffer so much, it is hard to envision watching them go through it again. But when you are fighting cancer, there is no other option. A month later, we were back at SickKids. The process started again. This time it was five days of chemo, three days of rest, and then the stem cells were given to her. I thought since I had been through this once it would be easier, but I could not have been more wrong. Mucositis returned and with it, the vomiting with blood in it. She also got a bacterial infection which was caused by something she had eaten three months ago. Can you believe it; three months ago? This infection caused severe stomach cramps and she was put again on Morphine at 35 MCG. Lesser than last time but almost four times more powerful than for adults. She suffered the same hell again and my wife and I burnt with her in this fiery hell. This time it took 30 days before she started to get better. Finally, on August 8, 2018, we were sent home. 

Yes, the process was difficult, but these men and women made it bearable with their skills and attitude. They were always available to answer all our questions and support us through difficult days. After these transplants, scans were again done, and we found that her bone marrow is now cancer-free. In December 2018 she had 21 active cancer sites; now she had only three. Sophie underwent multiple blood and platelet transfusions during this time. I have on record 43 that I remember but I am sure the number was much bigger. This blood gave her the ability to fight off the ever-lurking infections and diseases. Post the bone marrow transplant came the Radiation therapy. Sophie underwent 20 radiation sessions at Juravinski Cancer center in Hamilton. We used to drive everyday from Brampton to Hamilton at 6:00 AM in the morning for our 7:00 AM appointment. Sophie again was a champ, she used to wake up at 5:00 AM by herself and we never had an issue getting to the hospital on time. She had to be sedated only in the first session and the rest she did them unsedated. Now in hindsight, it was the easiest process of her journey. Her subsequent scans kept showing 3 active sites, but the doctor was very happy with the way she was responding to the treatment. 

The next and the final step in Sophie’s treatment was 6 rounds of immunotherapy. We were told that the first day of this treatment would be the hardest day of our lives. In this treatment Sophie was going to get a medicine which would cause every nerve in her body to hurt. The doctor said that they would be giving her counter pain medication, but it takes a while for them to reach the point where pain is managed. The doctor said the side effects of this medication include, shortness of breath, heart rate increase, high fever. But Sophie proved them all wrong. Such was Sophie’s courage that at one point the doctors had to reduce the pain medication. The whole hospital was in awe of this little girl who was fighting Cancer tooth and nail. 

Sophie finished her treatment in March 2019. The scans still showed 2 active sites in her body but they were stable and  monitored by the doctors. 

March 2020 as the world was coming face to face with the Coronovirus, we had another battle on our hands. Sophie's Cancer had returned. We went back to McMAster Childrens Hospital for treatment again. Sophie underwent 17 more rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. I ahave lost count of the number of days that we have spent in the hospital. Today Sophie is in grade 2 and living her life to the fullest. Cancer still owns a small part of her body and we continue to watch it everyday. The battle is not over, I think, the battle is never over.

Campfire Circle has played a very important role in Sophie's journey. Their employees, voulnteers kept Sophie's spirits up during those dark days. They brought laughter and fun in her life which was surrounded by unimaginable pain and hurt. 

Sophie is just one of hundreds and thousands of kids who have been helped supported by Campfire Circle.I have no words to express my gratitude towards them for what they have done for me and my family.

Please donate so that they can continue to support families battling cancer everyday