Windsor toddler celebrates one year cancer-free
September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and one local family has a big reason to celebrate this time of year.
Three-year-old Savannah Hill is celebrating one year of being cancer-free.
“Every day I feel like I appreciate life more because of how she has proven to me that life can continue on,” says mother Jessica Hill.
Savannah was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia at 19 months of age.
“My heart sinks just thinking about it,” recalls Jessica. “When they told us because of that type of leukaemia, she might not have that long.”
Doctors told the family the best prognosis for her daughter would be a stem cell transplant. However, finding a match for Savannah was exponentially difficult due to her mixed race ethnic background.
“You’re much more likely to match with somebody of the same ethnic or ancestral background as you,” says Dr. Heidi Elmoazzen, stem cells director at Canadian Blood Services. “Because we are such a unique ethnically diverse country in Canada, that makes it much more challenging.”
Dr. Elomoazzen says out of the roughly 440,000 donors on Canada’s stem cell registry, only one third are those of a diverse background. That number drops to just four per cent for mixed race individuals.
Throughout her treatments, the Hill family hosted numerous stem cell drives, swabbing hundreds of individuals in hopes of finding a match.
Savannah never found a perfect match, but to everyone’s surprise, her chemotherapy treatments did the trick and got rid of all her cancer cells.
“I just admire her and I’m thankful for God that she’s continuing to do well,” says Jessica.
While the Hill family celebrates Savannah’s “cancerversary,” they are urging the public to join the stem cell registry to give other children who aren’t as fortunate a chance to survive.
“I encourage anybody to think about their loved ones, what if they were in this situation,” says Jessica.
Healthy individuals 17-35 years of age are eligible for stem cell donation. To register online visit the Canadian Blood Services Website.
Registrants will be asked to fill out a health screening questionnaire, a swabbing kit will then be mailed to you with all postage costs covered.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.