Help Paige Pickering and Her Family

28 yo Paige is a beautiful smiling wonder having lived through an incredible amount of adversity in her 28 years and recently things got a lot worse. Paige was born in 1995 with Cerebral Palsy after having the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck during childbirth. Although Paige is 28 years old she functions at the cognitive and social age of just 12. She has had seizures from birth and is also hearing impaired. Paige will require care for her whole life and lives with her loving parents Lorainne and Adam and two adoring brothers Cody and Nolan. Paige loves Avril Lavigne and had the opportunity to meet twice! Once during her Make a Wish and most recently on the red carpet at the Juno Awards! At the tender age of 12 she was diagnosed with a benign gangliolioma brain tumor which was surgically removed. She was also diagnosed with epilepsy and was left with only 28% functioning brain tissue. Miraculously her small amount of brain tissue formed new connections and she has been doing incredible since then and managing her seizures on long-term medication. Then at age 16 Paige was diagnosed with a 7 lb stage three ovarian germ cell cancer tumor which was surgically removed and required her to have four rounds of chemotherapy. Unfortunately on May 30 this year Paige started to display stroke-like symptoms and had a total of 30 focal seizures causing brain bleeding in her right temporal lobe. She was transported by local EMS to the Foothills Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a new brain tumor in the same location as the one she had at age 12. On June 8 Paige had a very high-risk surgery to remove 70% of the new tumor and she spent a total of 2 weeks in the hospital. As of today, June 17 2023 the family is waiting to hear what the pathology is on the new tumor. Regardless of the final result, she will require long-term radiation to her brain due to 30% of the tumor being left behind. She may also need chemotherapy if it is malignant. Paige is home and recovering now with extra medication to prevent seizures. She is talking and walking again but requires full-time care from her family and will for the rest of her life. At this time Paige needs some physical aids to be added to the bathroom so that she can be safe at home. They may also require future renovations to accommodate Paige depending on her long-term needs. Paige's family is incredible, unfortunately, they do not have a stable income at this time. Her mom Lorraine has a home-based business called K9 Kuddles which is a doggy daycare and dog grooming business. The business is closed currently so Lorraine can look after Paige full-time. Paige's dad Adam is off work due to injury and recent hip replacement surgery in February of this year. Before this event, the family was also caring for and had their grandmother living with them with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Paige's Brothers Cody 23 and Nolan 14 also live at home. The Pickering family has been living in Cochrane since 2007 and has been involved in the organization Helping Families Handle Cancer which is a local organization that assists families dealing with childhood cancer. They have also been involved with Lindsey Kimmitt Foundation and the local football community. They are a giving and community-focused family that deserves to be cared for in the same way they have cared for others. Despite all of the adversity in the family's life, they have continued to be a huge support to anyone needing their help, often offering free doggy daycare to clients who are experiencing their own crises and giving back to the community. Now it's our turn to support them!