Your Support Enables Surgery for Manitoba's Youngest Cancer Patients

"So, you think I have cancer?"
That was the question 9-year-old Cain asked his doctor on the day of his cancer diagnosis.
Less than one year ago, Cain was diagnosed with high-grade osteosarcoma - an aggressive form of bone cancer. Before that, he was a healthy and active kid. He loved playing hockey, rugby and running around outside with his younger brother and sister.
At the Minnedosa Health Centre on New Year's Eve, Cain underwent a leg X-ray, and upon seeing the results, the doctor immediately scheduled an appointment for an MRI at CancerCare in Winnipeg the next day. That's when his parents first began to understand that this wasn't just a leg injury. The MRI revealed a large tumour in Cain's right tibia.

Within a week of receiving his diagnosis, Cain began his first of six rounds of chemotherapy. His treatments were so intense that he required hospitalization during the process, and often after them as well. Mid-way through his rounds of chemotherapy, Cain was scheduled to receive the first part of limb-salvage surgery - a complex operation that aims to remove the cancerous tumour while keeping nearby tendons, nerves and blood vessels intact.
Cain's first surgery to remove the osteosarcoma in his tibia was a success. What followed was a grueling two-week hospital stay. Even though he was only eight years old at the time, Cain required strong medication to help control the intense pain. Fortunately, the margins on his tumour were clear, meaning a second surgery to reconstruct his tibia bone was a viable option.
Without donor support, Cain wouldn't have been able to receive his life-saving surgery here in Manitoba with the support of his family nearby.
Throughout his journey with cancer, Cain has fortunately been distracted from the pain by building Lego, making crafts, and spending time with his siblings. He recently completed his sixth and final round of chemotherapy. When he arrived home from the hospital, nearly 60 friends and family had gathered on his front lawn to welcome him home. The support Cain and his family have received from their community has really lifted his spirits.
Today, Cain is no longer confined to a wheelchair and is moving around more by using his walker. He has started school again and is happy to be back at home with his two siblings, whom he has a very special relationship with.
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This November marks the Winnipeg Jets' 11th Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) campaign. Fans have generously raised more than $1 million over the previous 10 HFC campaigns to help local kids just like Cain receive care in Manitoba. Fans can support this year's campaign in numerous ways at Jets games and from home, including by purchasing one of a select number of Jets HFC Build-A-Bears at the Nov. 29 HFC game, buying
HFC Raffle
tickets for one of eight warmup-worn or issued Jets HFC jerseys, by purchasing mystery signed HFC pucks and mini sticks on the concourse at Jets games, or by donating at
biggestfans.ca
or texting CARE to 20222 (to donate $10 or $20).