Help Aaron in his fight against leukemia

Hello everyone,

My name is Rebecca McCullough. I have had the pleasure of knowing Aaron Stanistreet and his family for many years.

The Stanistreet family have been model citizens in our small community. Megan, Aaron’s mother works as a Catholic school teacher and has been shaping the minds of young children for over 2 decades. Brad, Aaron’s father also works for the Catholic school board in the technology department. As well, Aaron has two older siblings, Gabriel and Sophia. Sophia is following in her mother’s footsteps and is attending Nipissing University to become an educator as well, and Gabriel is attending St. John’s Catholic High School.

Unfortunately a life-threatening diagnosis has shattered their once happy and comfortable lives.

This summer started like any other. 14 year old Aaron was happy to have a break from his studies and was spending his time with family, travelling and soaking up the sun. Suddenly, the whole family fell ill with Covid-19. Everyone was feeling unwell and they spent the week home attempting to recover. Everybody did recover, except Aaron… Aaron became sicker and sicker. After a few days of not getting better, Aaron was taken to a local Covid-19 clinic. His family was hoping that he wasn’t suffering from Long-Covid, as they are aware of how devastating those effects can be. The medical personnel did not like what they saw and suggested that the family take Aaron to CHEO (the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) for further examination.

Once Aaron and his family arrived at CHEO he was seen by the triage nurse who knew something was seriously wrong. He was pale, lethargic and had lost close to 20 pounds over the preceding 2 weeks. Aaron was rushed back to see the doctor immediately. He was given a barrage of tests and was given an immediate blood transfusion due to his dangerously low hemoglobin levels (a sign of leukemia).

A few hours later Aaron and his family were given the crushing diagnosis that he had Acute Leukemia. It had come on so quickly and so viciously that his physical decline over the next couple of days even surprised the medical professionals.

Aaron has a very long road ahead. Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 16th he will undergo a bone marrow aspiration which will tell the pediatric oncologists exactly how to treat this particular type of cancer. The treatment for leukemia is particularly horrible. For boys, it is a process involving 3 years of treatment, typically chemotherapy. Aaron will spend almost his entire high school career receiving cancer treatments. While other teenagers are attending parties, going on dates, learning to drive and going to movies, Aaron will be receiving cancer treatments…

Today, Aaron and his family were informed that due to his level of illness he will be required to remain at CHEO for at least 6 months. During this time Aaron’s family will have to be separated more than usual. His mother, Megan, will need to remain close to Aaron during this devastating time, while Brad, Aaron’s father, will try to keep things as normal as possible for their other children. This will require lengthy hotel stays, additional costs for medication not covered by insurance, meals, gas and other incidentals.

I am humbly asking for help for Aaron and his family… Please help to make a heartbreaking diagnosis a little bit less stressful for this amazing family. Any donation, no matter how small will help get this family through the next few months.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.

God bless you all!

Rebecca McCullough