To our amazing family, friends, and community,

We’re reaching out on behalf of Team Strandlund — Sonny, Sharlet, Summer and Piper.

In January, Summer began experiencing pain in her back. By July, doctors had found a tumour and she was admitted to BC Children’s Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer affecting the bone. Summer’s tumour is in her L2 vertebra.

Summer is 14 — vivacious, sassy, funny and very much herself. Since July, she has completed five rounds of chemotherapy, with treatment approximately every other week.

There is still a long stretch of treatment ahead. Next, Summer will receive proton radiation Monday through Friday for approximately 30 treatments. Because the specialized proton radiation she needs is not available to her in Canada, Summer and one of her parents will relocate to Seattle for approximately six weeks. When radiation is complete, she will return to Vancouver and continue chemotherapy, with at least six more rounds still ahead.

Since July, Vancouver has become a second home but they made a hard choice to divide in September and Shar and Sonny split their time between Ronald McDonald House and Victoria — one parent with Summer and one at home with Piper, who has returned to school. They travel back and forth so they can be together as a family whenever possible. Summer herself has only been able to return home once since treatment began.

Through all of this, they are still them. There is humour, music, little adventures when Summer feels well enough, meals shared together and an appreciation for the ordinary moments they probably wouldn’t have thought twice about before.

They’ve come to call these moments their Glimmers of Goodness — noticing the good without ignoring the hard.

Over the past few months, so many people have reached out to ask, “How can we help?” Asking for and accepting help doesn’t come easily, but right now, this is one way.

Living between cities for months comes with significant financial costs. There are ferries as the family travels back and forth, gas, parking, groceries and meals away from home.

Six weeks in Seattle will add another layer.

At the same time, both Shar and Sonny have reduced their work and incomes so they can be where Summer and Piper need them. They know this will continue throughout treatment. What they don’t yet know is how long treatment and recovery will affect their ability to return to their regular work and incomes.

There is support they are incredibly grateful for. Ronald McDonald House has provided a home away from home in Vancouver, and some travel is supported when Summer herself is travelling. Friends, family and community have stepped in with meals, messages, visits, yellow bracelets and countless acts of kindness.

Funds raised will help offset reduced income and the additional costs of treatment, travel and living away from home. They will also give Shar and Sonny some breathing room in the months ahead, allowing decisions to be based on what Summer and Piper need rather than what they can afford in that particular moment.

There is no way to know exactly what the coming months will bring or what life will look like when active treatment ends. For now, the focus is getting Summer through the treatment still ahead while keeping their family connected through it.

If you are able to donate, thank you. If donating isn’t possible, sharing this fundraiser, sending a message or simply continuing to show up for Team Strandlund means more than you know.

The hard is real. And so is the good.

Thank you for helping carry a little of the weight for Team Strandlund.