RMH

For Dallis Delarge, Dec. 25 is “birthmas.” This year, her second birthday, will be special because she has a new baby brother. But it will also be bittersweet. She’s far from home and battling cancer.

Dallis and her parents, Jason and Chantal, have been living at Ronald McDonald House Toronto (RMH Toronto) for almost three months while she is being treated for retinoblastoma, a type of eye cancer. They live in Airdrie, Alta., but the specialized treatment Dallis requires is only available at The Hospital for Sick Children. She was diagnosed on Oct. 1, and on Oct. 2, the family was on a plane to Toronto.

“We were literally homeless,” says Chantal. “It was basically, you need to go Toronto, and only one parent can stay at the hospital. It was overwhelming and I don’t know what we would’ve done if Ronald McDonald House wasn’t here.”

To make their sudden cross-country trip even more stressful, Chantal was pregnant and due to give birth in just over a month’s time. With their support system miles away, they were grateful to discover an amazing sense of community at their temporary home.

“The staff, volunteers and other families here will do anything for you,” says Chantal. “Before I went into labour, I was walking around the House and complete strangers were timing my contractions for me. It’s such a warm atmosphere and people couldn’t wait to meet our baby.”

On Nov. 21, Chantal gave birth to a son, Cameron. Cameron is only the second baby to ever call RMH Toronto his first home. Living with a newborn in temporary accommodations isn’t ideal, but thankfully RMH Toronto has cribs, strollers and other baby necessities on hand to help furnish the Delarges’ apartment. Friends of the House even brought feeding blankets and clothing for Cameron to help ease their burden.

Cameron’s birth has been a bright moment in an otherwise difficult three months. Dallis has received four rounds of chemotherapy. Each round lasts two days, during which she must be sedated. The chemo leaves her quite sick and it takes about a week for her to recover.

Her tumours have been responding so far, but her cancer is very aggressive. With a 95 per cent cure rate, Dallis’ family is quite hopeful that her health will improve. She will continue to be at risk throughout her lifetime however, as retinoblastoma is caused by a genetic defect that can cause other types of cancer later in life.

Dallis’ illness has hardly kept her down. She has boundless energy and can often be found running around RMH Toronto with her wooden cat-on-a-string in tow. She loves the House fish tank, visits from the therapy dogs and Monday night gym time. Dallis also enjoys asking people if they like her shoes. Her parents call it her “ice-breaker.”

This year’s birthmas falls right after Dallis’ last round of chemotherapy, so her family hopes she’ll recover in time to enjoy the holiday activities taking place around the House. If all goes well, the Delarges will go home to Alberta at the beginning of January, which will be Cameron’s first visit home. But they’ll come back to Toronto three to five weeks later for a scheduled check-up, which they’ll continue to do indefinitely until Dallis is healthy enough to wait longer between visits.

The Delarges hope to return to RMH Toronto during future visits, as it has been a saving grace for them during a painful time.

“We’re very thankful that we have this House and this staff to keep Dallis’ mind off of what she’s going through,” says Chantal. “And our minds too.”