The Climb for Kids

Dennis & Betty’s Story

We first met in 1973 when we were about 18. We were part of a large group of very close friends but over time we lost track of each other. We met again in 2018 and not long after that we became a couple with marriage plans following soon after. We’re planning on getting married in the summer of 2022 and had started talking about what to do for a honeymoon. After watching a recent documentary about Mt. Kilimanjaro, more specifically about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the decision about our honeymoon was made; but as you will see there’s much more to the story.

As with many of you, childhood cancer has touched the lives of our families and friends directly. Our grandson Oliver was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hepatoblastoma (liver cancer) when he was 16 months old.  Oliver underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, multiple operations, and hospital stays.  We were extremely fortunate that Oliver’s cancer responded so well to treatment.  He is now 6 years old and an extremely active and healthy boy. However, not all children recover.

We have supported Childhood Cancer Canada in the past and thought that the climb would be a fantastic opportunity to promote a fundraising campaign to aid in their ongoing efforts to fund research and provide support. The global pandemic has been extremely difficult for all of us and even more so for charitable organizations. Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of Canadian children and despite this, is underfunded with most research focused on adult cancer.

We’re going to need a great deal of help spreading the word to maximize the success of the campaign and we hope that you’ll join us in those efforts and in our adventure of a lifetime. We truly believe that cancer will be beaten.

Betty and Dennis

For more information on the programs and research funded by Childhood Cancer Canada, please visit childhoodcancer.ca