Here for the whole family
How WCK brings happy tears and space to heal
Over the course of a single day in December 2021, the Joshi family’s world shattered.
Hema Joshi took her nine-year-old son Aadi to emergency in the morning, and within 12 hours he had been diagnosed with leukemia. She found herself having to give consent to chemotherapy and a biopsy that same night. Hema didn’t sleep for the next two weeks.
While Aadi was going through the trials of cancer treatment, his younger brother Neil was having a hard time at home, too. His whole world had been turned upside down, and he started getting angry and having problems at school.
“As a parent, it is so hard to see both of your kids struggling,” says Hema. “One with cancer and the other struggling emotionally and mentally.”
Hema found out about WCK’s programs through their oncology support worker. Because WCK welcomes siblings in our programs, both boys started taking part in WCK’s online Hangouts in March 2022.
A year later, Aadi and Neil joined WCK for the first ever Spring Break City Camp in March 2023. This summer, both siblings attended our Summer Camp sessions in July.
For Hema, the difference she has seen in her sons since they started with WCK has been incredible. “WCK really helped both my kids with their mental health,” she says.
Both boys were struggling, one with the physical impact of cancer treatment and the other emotionally. “But after going to camp I saw them excited, happy, talking about activities and thinking about what they will do tomorrow.”
Most importantly for Hema, she saw her son getting his independence back.
Aadi has a hard time walking due to the side effects of his chemotherapy, and usually holds on to his mother’s hand because he is afraid of falling. At camp, she saw him walking alone without any help and trying to run towards her.
“It was the best thing,” she says. “It gave me happy tears.”
Hema also recognizes how important WCK has been for her, too.
“WCK not only helps kids, but parents too,” she says. “As a mother you don’t know how important it is for you to also sit alone and process your feelings about what happened and how things will get better.”
At WCK we understand that a cancer diagnosis impacts the whole family, and that’s who our programs are there for. Thanks to the support of our generous donors, we can provide meaningful programming that makes a difference for every member of the family during the hardest moments of our lives.
To keep these important programs going in 2024, we need to raise $150,000 over the holiday season. If you are able, please help us reach our goal by making your secure, tax-deductible donation online today. Every donation makes a difference and helps bring more love, support, and happy tears to families across the province.