10-year-old cancer fighter on a miracle mission
Ontario Division of the Canadian Cancer Society03 June 2003
TORONTO - With the help of his Myles' Miracle Mission team, a 10-year-old boy battling cancer is determined to be the youngest to raise the most funds in Ontario in the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life this year.
"My life in the past year hasn't been fun," says Myles McLellan of Chatham, Ontario. "I don't want anyone to go through what I've been through. Kids should only have to worry about what game they're going to play next, not what treatment is next."
Myles recently completed treatment for medulloblastoma, a childhood brain cancer. He's not out of the woods yet. With only a 30% chance of survival, it's a waiting game to see what happens now says his mother, Susan McLellan.
Myles and his family pulled the Myles' Miracle Mission team together to participate in the first Relay For Life event in Chatham June 20-21. He will also be wheeled by his parents in his wheelchair during the first lap - the Survivors' Victory Lap - along with other cancer survivors of the community. Myles hopes that, by contributing to the Canadian Cancer Society's cancer research and community support services, he will help other families with children who are living with cancer.
"I can't do it alone," says Myles. He asks people across Ontario to support his mission by making pledges online to the Myles' Miracle Mission team at www.cancer.ca (select 'Ontario', then Relay For Life pledge page). Last year, the top Relay For Life fundraiser in Ontario raised just over $7,000. "For parents of a child with cancer, the end of treatment is a time to celebrate," says Susan McLellan. "Getting involved in Relay For Life is our way of celebrating and giving back to all those who've helped us so much."
Relay For Life is an overnight, non-competitive relay that raises funds for cancer research and community services. The community event involves teams who take turns running or walking around a track. Cancer survivors in the community are invited to walk the first lap - the Survivors' Victory Lap. At dusk, the Luminary Ceremony, a special and poignant candle lighting, takes place to remember loved ones. This year, Relay For Life takes place in 42 communities across Ontario throughout June, with the goal of raising $7.5 million. So far, the first three events in Ontario have raised $385,000.
"I am just a little boy but I have so much to worry about and this makes it hard to sleep at night. I don't know why this happened to me or how to fix it," says Myles. "But I do know there is one thing cancer can't do and that's to stop me from making a difference with other kids."
Myles and his family have received hundreds of cards, letters and emails from all over Canada, the U.S. and even Japan.
"We're overwhelmed with the support we've received but we want people to know this isn't a mission for Myles," says Susan McLellan. "We're trying to help him make a difference. He doesn't want any other child to lose their hearing, memory, ability to walk or get 500 needles and give up road hockey. And I never want to see a long line of children waiting to receive treatment. That's why we're doing this."
To register or join a team, to make pledges or buy luminaries, or to find a Relay For Life event near you, visit the Ontario section of www.cancer.ca. Those who want to support the Myles' Miracle Mission team can do so online or through the Society's Chatham-Kent unit at (519) 352-3960. Relay For Life continues over the next four weeks at sites across Ontario. Check www.cancer.ca for locations.
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.
For more information, please contact:
Christine Koserski
Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario Division
(416) 488-5402, ext. 2305
Cathy Telfer
Relay For Life Coordinator, Chatham-Kent Unit
Ontario Division
(519) 352-3960
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