World Cancer Day: Ryan's story
Author: Steven and Sabrina Marchione, parents of SickKids kid Ryan
It is March 2012 and I am sitting in a hospital room with my wife and my then 18-month-old son, Ryan. We had been waiting for results from a biopsy on a lump that was growing in his little abdomen. I’ll never forget this part of the story. The surgeon walked into the room, and with his hand still on the knob of the door, he said, “Bad news. It’s cancer.”
I’ll never forget the mass of feelings that washed over me at that moment. Confusion, anger, sadness, despair. Bad news. It’s cancer. He’s not even two. Bad news. It’s cancer. But he’s barely a baby. Bad news. He’s hardly been able to live his life, and now he has to fight for it. That’s cancer.
"They know they have an opportunity, maybe even a responsibility, to be our heroes, and they are."
The Hospital for Sick Children, God bless them, has taken care of us, and helped us all along this journey. Every day, they work on creating an environment that wraps us in safety and promotes fun and joy in the lives of everyone who walks through its doors. The people there smile, they have fun and they give you their time. And I don’t just mean the student volunteers who do arts and crafts at Ryan’s bedside, or the nurses who wear fun toys on their lanyards so Ryan can be curious and distracted while they check his vitals. I mean the doctors, the surgeons, the leading researchers in cancer care … they are all kind. They listen. They smile. They hug. They stop and take care of us. They understand the role they play in our story. They know they have an opportunity, maybe even a responsibility, to be our heroes, and they are.
Sure, Ryan’s story has included a few unexpected chapters, but it’s still a great book to read. And more importantly, it’s part of a bigger anthology. He’s not in this alone, and he’s not the only one with this story. There are people everywhere affected every minute by cancer, and though we don’t always know who they are, or what part it plays in their story, it’s an opportunity for us, a responsibility even, to be a hero for them. Big or small, we can all play our part. My wife put this magnet up on the fridge in our house, and like most things I just think, “Oh look, a magnet” and then move on, but this one stands out for me. It says, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world.” Whether I’m being a dad, a husband, El Capitano or ‘That guy who painted his motorcycle pink, can you believe it?’, I am a part of someone’s story. This World Cancer Day, decide what part you want to play in someone’s story … because when the story is cancer, we all have a part to play.
Steven and Sabrina Marchione are the proud parents of two children, Ryan and Rachael. Steven is also a participant in the Canaccord Genuity Great Camp Adventure Walk to benefit SickKids. As part of the Moto Safety Crew, Steven ensures the safety of all the walkers out on the route. Join Steven on September 26, 2015 for The Great Camp Adventure Walk, an up to 20 km walk for the whole family.
For more information, please visit www.walkforsickkids.ca or call 416-445-3377.
