My team
My Story
A few weeks ago, we received the news we have been silently dreading for years. The kind of news that makes the world stop, even though everything around you keeps moving.
Nothing prepares you for the moment when an 11-year-old child has to decide whether to keep fighting cancer… or to let it take its course. How does a child even begin to understand that choice? How does any parent, aunt, uncle, sibling survive hearing it?
This is the decision my niece, Sophie, has had to face.
Eleven years old.
At 11, her biggest worries should be which friends are sleeping over.Which roller coaster she’s brave enough to try. Where the next family vacation will be. What movie she wants to watch next? She should be choosing joy. Not weighing life-altering medical decisions. And while cancer wages war on her small, tired body, there is another battle people don’t always see. The loneliness. The isolation. The quiet grief of watching other kids run freely through a childhood she’s had stolen from her.
Cancer doesn’t just attack cells. It reshapes an entire life. It forces children to grow up far too fast. It steals normalcy. It steals ease. It steals moments.
But if there is one thing cancer has not stolen from Sophie, it is her heart.And she has made one choice in her control. One beautiful, brave choice, that she is incredibly proud of. She is participating in the 10K on Mother’s Day in support of Campfire Circle. Through hospital stays and treatments, Campfire Circle has given Sophie something priceless: A place to just be a kid again.
To laugh. To run. To make friends who understand. To feel seen beyond her diagnosis. In the middle of fear and heartbreak, they gave her pieces of childhood back. This year, Team Sophie is trying to raise $100,000 for Campfire Circle, so other children facing the unthinkable can have that same light in their darkest days.
We are asking, with full, hopeful hearts, for your help.
Description
Bring Joy, Friendship, and Connection to Kids Who Need It Most Every day, thousands of kids across Ontario face cancer or serious illness – and miss out on the moments that make up childhood. Laughter, friendship, and adventure are replaced with hospital visits and isolation. For 42 years, Campfire Circle has brought healing through happiness to kids with cancer or serious illness and their families. Through our in-hospital, community, and overnight camp programs, we create opportunities for children to build friendships and social skills, develop self-confidence and resiliency, and improve their overall well-being. By providing play-based experiences, we empower kids to take back their childhood, regardless of their medical diagnosis. Today, more than 40,000 children in Ontario are living with serious illnesses. With your help, we can reach even more of them. Our goal is to serve 10,000 kids by 2030, and when you donate to the Sporting Life 10K, you join a circle committed to that vision. Your generosity ensures every medically fragile child can experience Campfire Circle’s life-changing programs when they need it most, at no cost to their families. Together, we can grow our circle of care and help deliver healing through happiness to more kids and families across Ontario. |
Achievements
Recent donors
| Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 | Asli Orsel | CA$54.24 |
| Apr 15 | Michael Verni | CA$27.41 |
| Apr 15 | Daniel Spadafora | CA$161.58 |
| Apr 15 | Jill Archer | CA$54.24 |
| Apr 15 | Anonymous | Undisclosed amount |
| Apr 14 | Anonymous | Undisclosed amount |
| Apr 14 | Geoff Tomlinson | CA$50.00 |
| Mar 31 | Mia Karmelic | CA$533.90 |
| Jan 12 | Simran Soham Brahmbhatt | CA$100.00 |
