A Hearth Place Thanks to PCA Upper Canada Region

By Carolyn Hoar – Volunteer, Pediatric Cancer Family Support, Hearth Place (from Provinz December 2015 page 17)

There are many things in life that we take for granted. Having healthy children is some­thing every parent expects so when a parent hears the word ‘cancer’ in connection with their child, it is horrifying, frightening and overwhelm­ing. As a parent they watch their child in pain, being poked, prodded and having intense drugs run through their small veins.

Often through the very worst of situations the very best of people find their way to help. In the Pediatric Cancer Program at Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre, we have been fortunate enough to meet such people. David and Anne Forbes came to us a couple of years ago and offered to take the children undergoing treatment for cancer to the Ca­nadian Tire Motorsport Park on their Driver’s Education Days. The instructors gener­ously give up their lunch hour and take the children onto the course. It is a thrill of a lifetime. We see smiles across their young faces that are inspiring and heart warming. This may seem like a small thing to some but it is huge for the children. These children and their families have been through some very dark times. They have huge mountains to climb both emotionally and financially as they go through treatments for cancer but, being driven at high speed in a Porsche is exciting and the children enjoy every second of it. A day at the track brings pleasure to the whole family.

A BIG thank you to David and Anne Forbes and the Porsche Club of Upper Canada for making the differ­ence in the lives of children with cancer and adding those huge smiles to their faces! Thank you all!