Annual report

Canuck Place helps short lives shine bright

When Chris and Hollie Hall’s daughter Lily was 13 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare, malignant brain tumour. After many years of treatment, the Hall family found their way into Canuck Place care when Lily was 16 years old.

Canuck Place supports families in holding hope while facing uncertainty. They help families like the Halls to navigate the complexities of grief, while cherishing the precious time they have left together.

“At first we were not happy to see Canuck Place staff because we knew they were a place where children go to die. It was scary and confusing. We had so much hope that Lily would recover,” Hollie explains.

This is a common feeling for families who are introduced to Canuck Place. Coming to terms with the understanding their child’s illness is incurable is devastating.

During Lily’s diagnosis and after her passing, Canuck Place Counsellor, Andrea Johnson, walked alongside the Hall family, providing a safe space to process their grief.

“Supporting families of children living with life-threatening illnesses requires whole family care and attention to everyone’s needs,” Andrea explains.

On average, a child is part of the Canuck Place program for six years and their parents and siblings remain on the bereavement program for an additional three years. And when Lily passed away at 19 years old in November of 2020, Canuck Place was there to support their journey of living with loss.

Canuck Place gives families the gift of time

The clinical team at Canuck Place supports families and their children with life-threatening illnesses to make the most of the time they have left. At just two weeks old, Alejandro Angel, lovingly known as Alejo, was diagnosed with a rare cancer.

The trajectory of Alejo’s cancer was rapid. His life expectancy went from one year to a couple of weeks with one devastating X-ray result. This was when parents Erin and Federico were introduced to Canuck Place.

“We didn’t know at that point how important Canuck Place was going to be to us,” Erin explains.

The Angel family decided to stay home with Alejo and make precious memories, thanks to the Enhanced Community Care Program. With this program, families receive specialized care from Canuck Place nurse practitioners through home visits. Canuck Place nurses ensured the Angels were well cared for at home by providing equipment and medications to keep Alejo comfortable, and the guidance they needed to navigate the final weeks of his life. But most of all, Canuck Place allowed the Angels to feel supported and validated with every decision they made.

“We were tossed into the darkest place possible, and Canuck Place surrounded us like a warm blanket that lifted us up, and helped guide us through the storm,” Federico says.

Alejo passed away five short weeks after he came into the world—wrapped in his parent’s arms and surrounded by love. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and godparents came to be by their side—all possible because of Canuck Place’s in-home care.

Helping families make precious memories

Canuck Place parents Maggie and Stewart were first introduced to Canuck Place in January 2020, when their son Matthew was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, an incurable genetic disorder.

The Ng family stayed at the hospice for overnight medical respite care, where Matthew received care for pain and symptom management, while his parents and four sisters spent quality time together in one of Canuck Place’s family suites, cuddling Matthew and making lasting memories.

To support the Ng family, the recreation therapy team created tangible items of a life lived—foot molds and necklace pendants with Matthew’s fingerprint.

“Canuck Place was a heaven-sent sanctuary where my family felt supported and safe to express our love for Matthew,” says Maggie.

Recreation therapy is a vital part of Canuck Place care and allows families to live in the moment. Canuck Place recreation therapists facilitate a variety of activities, in both hospice locations and in cities across the province. Community activities include outings like adaptive kayaking and dragon boat racing, annual provincial activity camps for the entire family, and a summer and winter family festival.

“My favourite part about this program is that my children get to connect with other siblings who have gone through similar experiences,” says Maggie.

Recreation therapy is just one way Canuck Place families can have a sense of normalcy in their lives, enjoy their time together as a family, and empower them to build precious memories and celebrate life.

Generosity keeps Canuck Place going

In 2022, The Dhillon family generously donated $100,000 to Canuck Place. As first time donors to a capital project, their designated gift covered the cost of replacing the boiler at Canuck Place Vancouver—Glen Brae Manor, as well as contributing to the cost of a Canuck Place vehicle.

The Dhillons were inspired by Canuck Place’s mission to support children and their families across the province and take comfort in knowing that Canuck Place cares for families in every way possible during a time of great uncertainty.

“The work done at Canuck Place is vitally important. From the heartbreaking diagnosis to a child’s final days, knowing that the caring staff at Canuck Place focuses on celebrating life, ensures that for those left behind the memories are special,” shares the Dhillon family.

We are so grateful for generous donors like the Dhillons.

Running and rolling in the BMO Vancouver Marathon

On May 7, 2023, team Charlie’s Angels Joy Runners ran and rolled 21km in the BMO Vancouver Marathon to raise funds for Canuck Place. Thirteen-year-old Charlie-Anne has been on the Canuck Place program since she was nine months old. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) type 1, a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness and atrophy, affecting her breathing and swallowing.

Together, this team helped raise a record-breaking $64,342.48 for Canuck Place. Canuck Place mom, Aubrey Delima joined the Charlie’s Angels team this year, and challenged herself to run the full marathon for her daughter Lauren. Lauren passed away on the Canuck Place
program in 2010, and Aubrey continues to honour her memory in this special way.

We are so proud of this incredible team and the funds they have raised to support Canuck Place children and families.

Canuck Place giving starts young

Teacher Librarian, Elizabeth Malin, and her nine-year-old son, Phoenix, have been Canuck Place Courage Builder Monthly Donors since the summer of 2022.

Every month, Phoenix receives an allowance from his mom, and as part of his monthly allowance, he chooses to donate $5 to Canuck Place. His mom shares that he especially loves being able to support programs like recreation therapy and music therapy.

“Giving to Canuck Place is important to us because we want to be able to help others who need it, even if it is in some small way,” says the mom and son team.

The monthly donations from Canuck Place Courage Builders, like Phoenix, help children and families make lasting memories together.

Thank you, Phoenix, for demonstrating that giving back can start at any age.