Family of Heroes

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When then seven-year-old Sydney found out that her 18-month-old sister had a rare cancer called neuroblastoma, she wanted to do something to help. Her parents, Scott and Faye, told her that one good way to spend her time and energy was to raise funds for cancer research. That was the motivation she needed to start on her fundraising journey. She started out that day encouraging a small group of friends to start brainstorming possible fundraising ideas.

The principal of Sydney’s school gave her and her friends permission to put up posters, and Sydney put a piggy bank at the front desk to collect spare change. Faye offered to make a few beaded bracelets to sell to her friends – and a $22,000-and-counting idea was born.  

Sydney started selling bracelets. First, she sold them at her school. She went to all the classes in her school and told them that she was raising money for ‘The James Fund’ at SickKids – a fund that raises money to support research into neuroblastoma.

The more people Sydney told, the more people wanted to help, and the more bracelets she sold. Reporters published stories about Sydney and her sister Georgia in the newspaper, on television and the radio. A local businessman in Kingston decided to hold a fundraiser at his company. This event, where an employee and the company’s president both shaved their heads, was a great success. The businessman also offered to match the donations made by his employees, and he asked other businesses to do the same. Soon her bracelets were selling faster than Sydney and Faye could make and their fundraising successes had multiplied, almost overnight.

Sydney has had ample experience speaking about her quest to find a cure for neuroblastoma. She spoke to her brownie troop, at a gala for supporters of The James Fund and to her church congregation.

Since she started her fundraising initiatives, Sydney has raised over $22,000 for The James Fund through SickKids Foundation. She has no intention of stopping her fundraising, not until researchers have found a cure for Georgia and other children battling the as-yet incurable disease. For Sydney, the most important part of fundraising was simply because she wanted to help other kids.

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer which develops in the adrenal glands, above the kidneys, and often spreads to other organs.  It accounts for nearly 10 per cent of all childhood cancers and is also the most common tumour in babies under one year of age.  The younger, the child when diagnosed, the better the chance of survival.

The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research at SickKids was created to help researchers generate knowledge leading to new therapies for the treatment of patients with neuroblastoma.  It has now grown to become the largest neuroblastoma research initiative in Canada. You can support Sydney's efforts by buying a bracelet at ShopSickKids.com! 

Donations Make the Difference: Giving to SickKids is truly a heroic gesture. Your donations help children like Georgia every day. You fund research breakthroughs that mean less pain for children, a higher survival rate, and less time in the hospital. Please give generously now.