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.”