Seven years after Liam Comboye died from brain cancer, his legacy continues.
Comboye died of a rare form of terminal brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a devastating loss to his family who remember him as a cheerful, happy boy who loved country music and adored his siblings Brody and Aurora.
When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Liam said, “I want to help people."
After his death, Liam’s mom Cari Comboye and her sister Lindsay Walper were inspired to continue the search for a cure by aiding cancer research in his name.
To honour Liam's wish before he died, a piece of his tumour was donated to the DIPG registry – a hard decision for the family "but what he wanted, was to help," they said.
"Your donations will help change the lives of future children faced with the same diagnosis. Cancer doesn't care, so we have to.”
Years later, the family is bringing Liam's bright spirit to a pancake breakfast they are hosting with The Cure Starts Now Canada, a grassroots effort dedicated to, not just fighting one cancer, but eliminating all cancers.
Santa, Mrs. Claus and a cast of superheroes will be joining the annual breakfast of fluffy pancakes on Sunday (Nov. 24), at 9 a.m. at Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion, 1070 Tillicum Rd.
Guests can also make their own holiday crafts and take part in a silent auction.
"This is always an amazing event and we look forward to bringing the community together once again for a fun and exciting morning," chapter directors Cari Comboye and Lindsay Walper said.
"We love hosting families and giving kids the ability to get a picture with Santa and we hope to continue to grow the love Liam brought into this world while helping to find the home-run cure."
To donate to The Cure Starts Now visit canadahelps.org. To contribute to research efforts to find a cure for DIPG visit dipgregistry.org.
