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
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.