Imagine that you are a mother of 4 beautiful girls, all under the age of 5 and your eldest Hannah complains of a bloated abdomen. You don’t really think anything of it until 2 days later you notice a ‘rather large mass’ just under her rib cage. What should have been a simple trip to the Emergency in Prince George Hospital turns into mom and daughter being whisked away by Air Ambulance to Vancouver. After a number of tests your worst fear comes to reality with a diagnosis of Stage 4 Wilm’s Tumor with metastases to the lungs and suspicious on the liver – Cancer. This is just the beginning of a long journey for Hannah and her mom Candace.

As first timers to Vancouver with no family around locally for support, no idea of how to use transit, or even where to buy groceries; Candace quickly hears about a place called Easter Seals House. Little did Candace and Hannah know how well they would get to know this place. Outside of the house, you are welcomed by a group of colourful animal sculptures; there are bears, orcas and eagles. Enter the House and you are warmly welcomed at the front desk by the friendly staff. On your walk to your room, you pass by a playroom, living room and kitchen. You peek in and notice families hanging out in the living room and kitchen who provide you with a welcoming smile. You enter your room which includes a kitchenette, private bathroom and two beds. As Hannah’s life centres around chemo therapy, radiation and surgery, she and her mom start to receive support from other families staying at the Easter Seals House. They become friends with the staff, and Hannah becomes well known as the little girl in ‘pink’ with the great big toothless grin.

Now flash forward to five months later. Hannah and Candace still refer to Easter Seals House as home. They are the ones in the playroom, living room and kitchen giving new families a welcoming smile. They are the ones who are telling new comers how to get around the city on transit, where to shop and that it’s going to be okay. The journey hasn’t ended yet; they will continue to call Easter Seals House home for at least another three months. Hannah will have spent a total of eight months at Easter Seals House.

Imagine the fear future parents must face when they are told they will be flown to Vancouver from their home in Whitehorse for the emergency birth of their son four months early. Suddenly you find yourself in a strange city, far away from the support of your family and friends.

That’s exactly what Lucas’s parents endured. Lucas spent the first four months of his life in Vancouver Children’s Hospital and during this time his parents lived at Easter Seals House. Lucas is now an active 6-year-old with cerebral palsy. He needs both an electric wheelchair and specialized walker for mobility and every four months he returns with his Mom to Easter Seals House for medical follow-ups and continued treatment at the hospital.

“Lucas loves to stay at Easter Seals House because he has the opportunity to meet other kids and it gives him something to look forward to after of a full day of medical procedures and tests. Spending time with other kids takes the stress off everything he goes through at the hospital. I realize it takes a lot of money to run Easter Seals House and there is no way the little amount I pay covers the costs, it’s the donors that make this service possible” – Corrina, Lucas’s Mom

Some kids dream of leading the country one day. For Brandon Liston this dream might actually happen.

At 14 years old, Brandon is already a seasoned Easter Seals Ambassador, having served in New Brunswick when he was six years old to ten. Now he is making history, officially becoming Easter Seals’ first National Ambassador. Brandon will travel to key events across the country to speak on behalf of Easter Seals kids. His first official duty is to be the 60,000 recipient of the Access 2 Entertainment card on its tenth anniversary, December 3, 2014.

Brandon knows a thing or two about smiles and Easter Seals. For him, the two go hand-in-hand. Brandon has cerebral palsy, which affects his right leg and arm. He uses a walker primarily to get around, and a wheelchair for longer distances.

When he needs to replace a walker he has outgrown, he and his mom, Tammy turn to Easter Seals New Brunswick, which provides long-term loans of personal assistive equipment free of charge. This service is a god-send for parents of children with disabilities. Bringing up a child with a disability can be cost prohibitive if not for the support of Easter Seals and government programs. Learn more about Brandon and what Easter Seals means to him.

If you’ve ever been a camper or staff member at camp, you know the universal impact a camping experience holds. For many of us, it shapes who we become in life – our camp friends tend to be our lifelong friends.

For kids living with disabilities it is the same, but much, much more! Fully-accessible cabins, facilities, programming and camp activities are expensive. It takes a lot of specialized equipment and skilled staff to make it happen. But it’s worth every penny when you see the look on a child’s face after conquering a high ropes course, or feeling the freedom of sailing across the lake, or laughing uncontrollably with new friends around a burning campfire.

The memories and friendships made at camp are everlasting. Camp is not only a game-changer – it’s a life-changer!