Teacher in Colwood, B.C., inspired by kindergartener's battle with cancer
When your child is so full of energy you affectionately call him "Hurricane Jamie," there are no words to fully describe the feeling of seeing him suddenly so still.
“It was devastating,” Jamie’s mom Elyse Sidhu says, before showing me pictures of her then three-year-old dwarfed by a hospital bed and the machines attached to him.
Jamie spent months in the pediatric ICU after being diagnosed with leukemia.
Although the boy lost his hair, he always found a family member (furry or otherwise) to comfort him.
“He’s been non-stop on chemotherapy for more than two years,” Elyse says.
Although living with cancer throughout the COVID-19 pandemic made him miss out on many things, he was able to start kindergarten this year.
“I’m so proud of him,” Jamie’s teacher Cynthia Adamek says. “He’s been through a lot, but at the same time he seems so worriless.”
Watching Jamie talk to his fellow students about his condition and treatments inspired Cynthia to shave her head to support him.
With Jamie holding her hand for support in front of hundreds of other cheering students, Cynthia had her long, red hair cut completely off to donate for wigs and raise money for kids with cancer.
“Had [Jamie] not had those amazing treatments over the years,” Cynthia says, “it might have been a different story.”
Watching it all, Jamie’s mom couldn’t feel more grateful.
“Having him recognized,” Elyse says, taking off her glasses to wipe away her tears. “It means a lot to us.”
Jamie was also asked to join Cynthia in holding a giant cheque for $2,590.40 and presenting the collective donation from John Stubbs School to the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock riders.
While this was all a lesson in empathy and courage for Cynthia’s students, it also marked a milestone in Jamie’s journey.
“He’s done,” Elyse says. “He’s cancer-free as of this moment.”
As the five-year-old runs around a park after the head-shave, remembering how to be a "hurricane," his mom says her family will never forget the power of kindness.
“Jamie’s always going to be able to [look back on it],” Elyse says, before picking Jamie up for a hug. “And say that his kindergarten teacher was such a nice person and was willing to do that for him.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.