Kevin has the coolest job. He flies puppies with champion bloodlines to their grateful new owners in both Canada and the United States. Kevin is 20 years old and has beat cancer twice. He shares his story to inspire other people in the same way that he has been inspired.
At twelve years of age, Kevin was in transition. Transition from a love of playing soccer to a love of playing basketball. Transition from playing sports with friends outdoors to being forced indoors and feeling a growing sense of isolation. “I did something that upset my parents, I was grounded and had to be indoors. My neighbourhood friends would tease me by flaunting the basketball or kickball games that they would play without me, which is when I discovered that video games were a pretty good pastime. In retrospect, it was good practice for what lay ahead”.
It was only a week or so later that Kevin found a lump on his neck. Bigger than a ping pong ball, smaller than a tennis ball. The doctors said it could be many things and took a biopsy with something that reminded 12-year-old Kevin of an apple corer. A week later, they went to the hospital to get the results. Kevin’s Mom heard the news first in a different room to Kevin. “She came in crying. I started thinking that something had happened to my Mom while she was out of the room, so I started getting angry at the doctors for whatever they did. My Mom whispered something to my Aunt, then she started to cry too. I didn’t cry when they told me. I started memorising my Mom and my Aunt’s faces, thinking ‘I don’t know when my last moments might be’”.
Being in transition to puberty, Kevin was given choices about his treatment. “The doctors told me that the side effects from treatment could affect my ability to have kids. I told them, I choose life. I don’t want to live in fear”. Going through chemo was tough. It took a long time. I had bad days. Who doesn’t on chemo?”
It was around that time that Kevin started taking life lessons very seriously. Inspired by his Mom, he would always say please and thank you. While outwardly polite, inside he was angry at the disease and the situation he was in. “I was only 12. I haven’t been to high school yet. I haven’t had my first kiss. I wanted those things. Even if I did get through this, how would I be affected? What would puberty be like for me? Would I be different and made fun of?”
“While in the hospital my Mom and I were grateful for the support from Childcan. Simple things made a big difference. My Mom didn’t have time to make meals, so the meal vouchers helped a lot. Parking, that could have added up too.” Kevin was also grateful for games and visits from Renee to distract him. “It made it a lot easier going to the hospital if I knew that Renee was going to be there. It gave me something to look forward to. I liked it when Renee came into the room as it always brought a smile to my Mom’s face too”.
Fast forward to March 2020. Kevin was in high school, working part-time at McDonalds, until the pandemic started at least, and was sick a lot. “I think my Mom just thought I didn’t want to go to school”, he laughed. A mass on his eye, that was noticeably growing, wasn’t something that Kevin could fake, so they went back to the hospital for tests. This time the family was all together when they got the call from the hospital with the results. The cancer was back. “Everyone cried. Not me. I felt I needed to be the rock for everyone. Though inside I was mad. Mad at myself. Mad at the doctors who said I would never get cancer again. Worried the cancer was back because of something I did or didn’t do”. The cancer treatment would be harsher, “Again I thought, if it means a better life in the future, I’ll do it".
Around the same time, Kevin was diagnosed with an Immune System Deficiency, explaining how sick he often was. He needed a transplant, and the closest match was Kevin’s younger brother. “I didn’t want my brother to have to go through that. My little brother cared more for saving my life than being labelled as a hero, it just so happened that he became one”. Despite Kevin just turning 18, they went to SickKids for the procedure that reset Kevin’s immune system to zero. Kevin was isolated in a small room for 2-3 months, losing his core strength in the process. It takes a full year to rebuild an immune system, during which time Kevin felt trapped. “I wanted to hang out with my friends, I wanted to graduate high school, go to college, get a job, get my driver’s license”. Kevin was back inside, feeling terribly isolated while watching his friends outside, just like before his first cancer diagnosis. He severed his friendships, not wanting to cause his friends more pain if he should die. One day, he looked at the situation he was in, “I called my friends and left them voice messages in which I cried and explained what was going on - it’s cancer, it’s not you. I told my friends I loved them and what they meant to me.”
“I learnt life lessons on this journey. A little kindness goes a long way. Smile at people. Give compliments. You never know the difference that could make in their life.”
It’s now going on two years since day zero when Kevin’s immune system was reset to zero. Kevin now has a normal immune system, the coolest job, and (the best news of all) he is 100% cancer free!
Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your story.