Graeme MacRury is always happy to promote the annual Cops For Cancer event. This year’s campaign runs Sept. 13 to 20 and features police agencies and emergency service personnel cycling for eight days across 800 km, raising money for childhood cancer research and support services at the Canadian Cancer Society.
A Mission firefighter, MacRury has a very personal reason for his involvement with the event.
On Dec. 18, 2018, MacRury’s four-year-old daughter Paisley was diagnosed with Leukemia. That was the beginning of the family’s cancer journey.
According to Graeme, when he first brought Paisley in, the doctors and nurses didn’t know why they were there. However, he was sure that something wasn’t right with his daughter.
Paisley was sent for blood work that Tuesday morning and by that night, at 5 p.m., the family was in Children’s Hospital. By 11 p.m. they were on the oncology ward with a diagnosis and “settling in for the whirlwind.”
She spent the first month as an in-patient at Children’s Hospital with medical appointments six days a week. Her mom Lauren and Graeme stayed at Ronald MacDonald House to be close to her.
“Her big concern when she was diagnosed was that somehow she was going to make us sick,” said Graeme, but according to Paisley, her biggest fear was that “Santa wasn’t coming.”
Somehow he managed to track down her location to deliver her presents.
“With Leukemia it’s a two-and-a-half to three year treatment process. It’s the longest treatment process of any oncology treatment because they are literally trying to get your body to completely regenerate all the bone marrow. She was fortunate that we caught it early, before it spread to her spinal fluid,” explained Graeme.
During her first month at hospital, Paisley’s younger sister, Tenley, was sent to live with her grandparents for a few weeks but the family was reunited when they all returned home.
After leaving the hospital, Graeme said the family spent “about a year going through her treatment and being super isolated and super clean. And then the rest of the world joined us because of Covid.”
For the next two-and-a-half years Paisley continued to have oral chemo treatments. She also spent a period of almost three months back at Children’s Hospital.
As she went through her treatments, Paisley began to collect beads.
“It came from the Beads of Courage which is an oncology thing where everything you go through, each treatment, there’s a bead,” explained Graeme.
Any procedure Paisley had from chemotherapy to blood work, or isolation days, hair loss, etc. she’d get a bead. Her collection is now almost too large to count.
Today, Paisley is 10 years old and her Leukemia has been in remission for four years. She and her family are just trying to return to a normal life.
Tenley, who is now 8 years old, said her sister’s illness sometimes bothered her. Her least favourite part was that “Paisley got all the attention because she had cancer. So I thought I was left out from everything.” She was also worried she would have to stay with her grandparents again and she didn’t want to be alone anymore.
But the good times have returned.
“I mostly just like having my sister back,” said Tenley as she gave Paisley a hug.
As for Paisley, she doesn’t like to talk about the negative aspects of cancer treatment, instead she focuses on the positives.
One thing she did enjoy was Camp Good Times, a pediatric camp program featuring both kids and family camps.
Cops For Cancer is the primary fundraiser for Camp Good Times and Graeme does his best to support, fundraise and spread the word about the two organizations.
His affiliation with the two groups began when his family was asked it they wanted to be honorary riders at Cops For Cancer. They were also invited to attend Camp Good Times by their cousins, who have also gone through a cancer journey.
“The first time we were in it (Cops For Cancer) we were still in our protective bubble of like isolation, being very fresh on the cancer journey. It wasn’t until the year after Covid that we got more involved with Camp Good Times and Cops For Cancer,” explained Graeme.
The two groups work under the umbrella of the Canadian Cancer Society. Cops for Cancer is one of the biggest funders to the camp.
“That’s where we got involved helping both organizations as much as we can,” added Graeme.
He said riders aren’t just police officers, many are corrections officers, paramedics, firefighters and other first responders who donate their time and efforts to help kids.
“They start their process and application in March. They fundraise and practice throughout the year. Before they can take part in the ride they have to raise $6,000 in donations.”
They also volunteer more time visiting the kids at the camp.
Graeme said there are four kids camps – three of which are at Loon Lake in Maple Ridge – and four family camps.
“The amount of healing that takes place at Camp Good Times where myself, as an oncology parent, can spend time talking to other parents who either have just got a diagnosis or are just starting their cancer journey, it’s amazing. It’s a shared experience.”
While it benefits parents, Graeme said the camps benefit the kids more.
“At camp was the first time we saw Paisley come out of her shell, because she didn’t have to explain to anyone why she didn’t have any hair or why she had to wash her hands all the time, because everybody knew,” said Graeme.
Paisley, who has been to six camps over the years, says they are a lot of fun. She enjoys the big water fight against the firemen as well as rock climbing, archery, canoing and so much more.
Like their father, Paisley and Tenley want to help support Cops For Cancer as much as they can.
“We wanted to do a lemonade stand with our friends, and Dad said let’s do it by donation for Cops for Cancer.”
On Saturday (Sept. 7) you can visit Paisley and Tenley at their lemonade stand at Mission Fire Station #1 (located at 33330 7th Ave.) Glasses of lemonade are available by donation from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
