Dear Starlight Supporter,

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support and commitment to Starlight families like ours. Your kindness and generosity have made a profound impact during some of the most challenging times in our lives.

My daughter, Adriana, is a vibrant 5-year-old who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cancer is life-altering in a way that is unimaginable until you are physically, mentally, and emotionally living through it yourself. The biggest misfortune of it all, beyond the actual treatment and side effects themselves, is how it tears a family apart.

In recent months, I’ve come to realize that I was living in another world where Adriana’s fight was the only thing that existed. While I was physically present for my two children, I could only mentally juggle one reality – the most crucial one at the time.

My son is my “well” child and I had no reason to worry, but as time passed and Adriana began to feel better, my children’s actions and words helped me realize what has been missing in our family and what they’ve been longing for all along: togetherness.

Adriana was always at the hospital, resting, or enduring medical treatment. Meanwhile, my son was always sent to daycare, staying with family, or asked to be in another room away from chemo prep for good reason. Over and over again, all they saw was separation. They began to question it – they challenged it and requested for things to be different.

While the first several months of Adriana’s cancer treatment were necessary and intense, we now have the chance to turn the page and start writing our story differently… In a way where we stay united. This is what we have decided to do; when and where we can, we choose each other, and it has brought us immeasurable joy.

Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada has helped us create this new chapter. Their support has been crucial in our journey, providing us with opportunities for cherished family experiences. From cheering with the crowd at Medieval Times to exploring the waters at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, these special family outings have brought us closer together and helped heal our hearts in ways we never expected.

It’s because of Starlight Canada, and people like you, that we can create lasting memories through the darkness. I encourage you today to become a monthly donor at give.starlightcanada.org. Even for as little as $20 a month, you can be an ongoing source of joy and togetherness for families just like ours. Thank you for being a light at the end of the tunnel.

With sincere appreciation,

Alexandra D.
Grateful Starlight Mom