Hi everyone, my name is Mary-Anne Kennedy, and I am fundraising for Dan and Lynn Wallace. They hesitated greatly to even consider setting this up for them. But they have agreed to let their community support them at this very difficult time.

It is an unbelievably heartbreaking task to share the devastating news that one of our riders at Greyden Equestrian (and our daughter’s best friend), Varielle Wallace has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumour.

Varielle is in the hospital now, in downtown Toronto. In order for her parents to be with Varielle, to share every precious day with their daughter, they cannot be at work. As parents, it is a nightmare situation.

Varielle and her parents Dan and Lynn are the most generous and loving people you will ever meet. Smiling all the time and so positive, always. Varielle is a proud jumper rider and she and her mare Sweet Sophie G are champions multiple times over at Teen Ranch Hunter/Jumper shows, Meadowlarke, and CW Trillium. Varielle has been the recipient of the Johnny Barkey Memorial Trophy and has loved horses her entire life. A more brilliant light in the horse world would be hard to find.

From the time she was a toddler, Varielle’s life was planned to be an animal doctor, by her. As she grew up the plan was to be an exotic animal doctor due to her love of snakes and reptiles, and then once she came into the horse world, she quickly determined her path was to become an equine veterinarian. She knew from 8 years old that she would be going to the University of Guelph and when she finished high school, with honours, she refused to have a “back up plan” and apply for any other university or course. She had one choice and one school only, Guelph and Equine Management to lead her to the DVM program.

With no surprise, this past fall Varielle started her first year in the Equine Management degree program at the University of Guelph. Dan and Lynn have never know anyone with such a lifelong goal from such a young age, and the fact that she never wavered once from it, helped to define her journey. Dan and Lynn actually have picture of Varielle in front of the Guelph Gryphon statue when she was much younger and then another when she became a Gryphon. It’s one of Varielle's, Dan's and Lynn's proudest accomplishments.

Varielle also started her Equestrian Canada Instructor certification process just a few months ago, and spent the last year as a junior equestrian coach, building her experience in the horse world, as well as working as a veterinary assistant in clinic, and as a sales associate at Bahr's Saddlery. To say this news was unexpected is the greatest understatement.

This page is set up to directly help support Dan and Lynn, to hopefully unburden some of the huge financial stress that has come, and will continue to come with this very difficult and heart wrenching time. Choosing between needing to work to support life and being with your child is an awful place to be in, but there is only one choice and that’s your child. Any amount is incredibly generous and Dan and Lynn thank you from the bottom of their hearts.

If you aren’t able to give, that’s ok. Prayers are very welcomed and appreciated.❤️

As Varielle’s barn family we will remain hopeful and optimistic, just like Varielle.

Thank you so much for giving anything you can.

With our deepest gratitude,

Mary-Anne and Ryan Kennedy on behalf of Dan and Lynn Wallace