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Despite facing significant health challenges—a rare and aggressive brain cancer, and two holes in her heart—Selina remained playful and vibrant, often gripping her parents’ Jiuyi and Derek’s hands as if to say, ‘I know you love me, and I love you too.’

When Selina developed a serious infection during chemotherapy, doctors were unsure how much time she had left. It was then that Jiuyi and Derek made the loving decision to focus on managing Selina’s pain and providing a peaceful, loving environment during her final days. This marked a turning point they now consider one of the most meaningful moments in their difficult journey.

“After our first visit to Canuck Place, we felt confident it was the right choice for us,” Jiuyi and Derek share. “Canuck Place clinicians treated Selina with exceptional care, prioritizing her comfort and supporting us as a family.”

Not only were Selina’s medical needs addressed, but the family’s emotional needs were supported through well-balanced meals from the kitchen staff, recreation therapy outings and memory making, and counselling sessions to support the challenging road they were facing. Their spiritual care counsellor also introduced them to a Buddhist chaplain, who gave them solace and guidance during overwhelming times. But what made the greatest impact were the moments of normalcy, of joy, and memory-making.

At Canuck Place, they could pause, breathe, and simply focus on being Selina’s parents. “With Canuck Place, we found a safe space to express our emotions, allowing us to return to Selina’s side as strong, capable parents.”

Selina passed away with her loving parents by her side while staying at Canuck Place. Affectionately dubbed “warrior princess” by her parents, Selina was strong-willed and determined. And while her time was short, she left a lasting impact. Canuck Place walked with the Roys every step of the way, helping them through the most difficult goodbye—not only supporting them in their grief, but managing challenging logistical choices such as contacting funeral homes and cremation services. This support ensured Selina could be laid to rest properly, honouring her legacy, and supporting her parents along the way.

“Our time at Canuck Place reshaped our perspective on life,” explains Jiuyi and Derek. “We learned that the most valuable moments are the ones happening right now. Plans and future are never guaranteed, so embracing each day and treasuring time with loved ones has become our main priority.” Canuck Place aims to help families find strength in the face of heartbreak—and joy in the smallest moments of life.

Love is a gift

The spectacular event was hosted by MC Riaz Meghji and raised over $460,000 to support children and families at Canuck Place.

Canuck Place parents Hope and Ben Cholette from Chilliwack, beautifully shared their family’s journey, and a candle lighting ceremony took place in honour of their son, Jack, and all of the children at Canuck Place.

“Canuck Place allows families moments of normalcy in a world of chaos and uncertainty,” Hope shared. “When everything becomes medicalized, sometimes healthcare professionals only see the condition and forget to see the child. Canuck Place cares for the child first and then the condition.”

It was another very special evening with the Fraser Valley community coming together to support children and families facing unimaginable circumstances.

Canuck Place lights the way for families across BC and the Yukon

When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, families often face overwhelming medical, emotional, and logistical challenges. Families in rural and remote areas of BC, like Jenn and Matt Rempel, struggle to access specialized care. Canuck Place, the only pediatric palliative care provider in BC and the Yukon, is committed to ensuring quality care for children and families, regardless of location.

Canuck Place offers community-based care with 24/7 clinical consultation from nurses and physicians, and counselling services via phone or virtual care. This provides families immediate access to medical advice and reassurance during critical moments, whether it’s managing pain and symptoms, adjusting medication, or providing spiritual and emotional support. The Rempel family, from Northern BC, experienced the vital role of Canuck Place’s community-based care when their son, Tristan, was diagnosed with ependymoma brain cancer at 14 months old. Jenn recalls, “Tristan was full of life. He loved adventures, playing video games with his siblings, and imitating funny things he saw, like people snoring. He made every moment brighter.”

Canuck Place nurses, physicians, and counsellors became an integral source of support for the Rempels, offering guidance, medical expertise, and services including in-person medical respite care at the hospice and virtual resources. “They asked what our care goals were as a family and reassured us that we were in good hands. It wasn’t just about Tristan’s care; it was about supporting us all.”

Canuck Place clinicians supported the Rempels’ decision to stay at home with Tristan for as long as possible, guiding them on how to manage his needs without moving away from their community. “We utilized the 24-Hour Clinical Care Line many times,” shares Jenn. The nurses were so good about reassuring us that everything we were experiencing was normal.”

Canuck Place coordinated community care nurses to visit the Rempels and provide hands-on support at home. An in-home care nurse visited the Rempels several times per week to support with prescription changes and taught them how to administer medications. Canuck Place also provides families with the knowledge and tools to care for their child at home, including emotional and spiritual support. “Each of the kids had their own counsellor who helped guide them through the grief process.” Canuck Place’s community-based care ensures families in remote areas receive quality care tailored to their needs, bringing care into the home so no family faces their most challenging moments alone.

Global leaders gather to advance pediatric palliative care

This past January, Canuck Place Community Care & Provincial Outreach Nurse Practitioner Team Lead, Camara van Breemen joined international partners at the in person workshop of the Children’s Palliative Care Leadership Program in Hyderabad, India. This workshop is part of a year-long initiative led by the Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration program, aimed at fostering the growth and development of pediatric palliative care leaders across South Asia. With the generous support of many contributors, including Canuck Place, the program continues to make meaningful strides in improving access to the quality of pediatric palliative care globally.

Canuck Place welcomes visiting scholar, Dr. Abby Rosenberg

This past January, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Research Initiative (CPCH RI) was honoured to welcome Dr. Abby Rosenberg as a visiting scholar. A global leader in pediatric palliative care, Dr. Rosenberg is Chief of Pediatric Palliative Care at DanaFarber Cancer Institute, Director of Palliative Care at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rosenberg shared an inspiring presentation on resilience in pediatric palliative care, drawing from her research with young people facing serious illness.

She shared that resilience often comes from one of three key areas: external supports, such as community and relationships; internal strengths, like optimism or grit; and existential resources, such as memory-making, faith, or spirituality. From her research, Dr. Rosenberg emphasized that resilience is not fixed, but something that can shift and grow.

“We discovered that the perception of being resilient was like a teeter totter. The ability to manage stress, have goals and purpose, stay positive, and feel connected, all tip the scales toward feeling more resilient,” Dr. Rosenberg shares.

Dr. Rosenberg also joined Dr. Hal Siden, Canuck Place Medical Director and Scientific Director of CPCH RI, for a thoughtful discussion on compassionate, innovative, and patient-focused care.

We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from leaders like Dr. Rosenberg as we continue to advance research, education, and clinical excellence—ensuring children with a serious illness and their families receive the very best care.

Watch Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Siden’s conversation on resilience

Refreshing our model of care

At Canuck Place, we are taking a fresh look at our Model of Care—the way we describe how our services and programs support children with serious illnesses and their families. This renewed model will reflect everything we do: from expert medical care and child and family wellness, to research that advances care, and thoughtful planning tools like the Serious Illness Conversation Guide – Pediatrics© (SICG-Peds©) that help guide conversations about future care. Families are at the heart of everything we do. This work is grounded in feedback we’ve heard from families, and we will continue to collaborate with our Family Advisory Council to ensure the ways we support children and families are clearly communicated and truly inclusive.

An update on pediatric advanced care planning

Canuck Place continues to work with clinical partners and families to support a provincial approach to pediatric advance care planning. We are part of a provincial working group cocreating a new guideline to help clinicians have thoughtful, family-centered conversations about advance care planning. This guideline will also support education for healthcare providers across BC and outline how to use the new Pediatric Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment form (pMOST), which will become an official Ministry of Health document in late winter 2025. If you have questions about this project, please contact Nadine Lusney at [email protected] or Dana Warburton and Sarah Rodrigues at [email protected].

Who is the Clinical Knowledge, Practice and Innovation team?

You may have heard this team’s name, but what does the Clinical Knowledge, Practice and Innovation (KPI) Team at Canuck Place do?

1. Plans, leads, and implements quality improvement projects and initiatives to enhance pediatric palliative care
2. Supports inter-professional practice through collaboration, innovation, and system change
3. Promotes quality and safety of care to meet regulatory standards
4. Provides leadership in clinical care and capacity development, supporting staff competency and knowledge translation

In a nutshell, the KPI Team builds bridges for education, practice change, and care improvement.

Examples in practice

• Co-leads the provincial pediatric advance care planning project
• Supports new hires for the clinical team at Canuck Place
• Building a learning management system for pediatric palliative care education
• Implemented an initiative to understand family needs for better care delivery
• Promotes quality and safety through assurance, improvement, and innovation activities
• This is seen through the medication and practice committee, chart audits, patient event tracking, policy development/updates
• Provides leadership in clinical care and pediatric palliative care through training and education, including CPCH Knowledge Building Circle and Inter-professional education days

Pediatric Advance Care Planning Project Updates

Canuck Place collaborates with clinical partners and families on a provincial pediatric advance care planning approach. We co-create guidelines to inform clinician education and the new pediatric medical orders for scope of treatment form (pMOST), endorsed by MoH in late winter 2025. Reach out to [email protected] or [email protected] if you have any questions about this project.