Who comes to mind when you think of love? You might think of your parents, your partner, your children, your grandparents, or your pets. For Dawn Pickering, she recently discovered a different kind of love one for the medical team that saves your childs life.

(Photo: Ollie, CHEO's therapeutic clowns and his dad, Mario).

In the summer of 2019, Ollies family discovered a bump on his neck. That November, after four months of not being able to find out the cause behind the bump, the ENT Clinic at CHEO diagnosed the seven year old with anaplastic large cell lymphoma ALK+ (anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive). He would spend the next six months at CHEO for cancer and relapse treatments. During this time, the cancer would render Ollie blind, forcing him to re-learn everything hes ever known. The journey that Ollie and his family were about to go on would be the most testing, agonizing time of their lives.

In March 2020, he and his family went to The Hospital for SickKids in Toronto for stem cell treatment. Because this was the start of the pandemic, planes were grounded and no travel was allowed so they couldnt use one of the three perfect matches on the international stem cell registry. So who stepped in to become Ollies half match stem cell donor? None other than his big sister, Abby.

On March 31, her cells were harvested, but a week before he was supposed to start total body radiation in preparation for transplant, Ollie relapsed a second time in his brain.

The family would spend the next five weeks in Toronto trying a cancer inhibitor drug that ultimately wouldnt work. They were told that there were few options left.

(Photo:Abby gets her stem cells harvested at SickKids).

No one can imagine the stress of going through cancer treatment and a stem cell transplant during the first few months of a pandemic. But much to everyones delight, the transplant went smoothly.

After three years of countless blood tests, scans, consults, frequent hospital visits, multiple relapses and undergoing all of his childhood vaccines again after transplants wiped his immunities outOllie is a survivor. He only has to come once a year to see his oncology team at CHEO, a thought that makes Dawn emotional. You feel incredible gratitude and a special kind of love for the individuals who saved your sons life.

(Photo:Abby, Mario, and Dawn surround Ollie in his wheelchair at Sick Kids on discharge day).

He and his Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Buddy Dog Hope were also featured in AMI-TVs Blind Trust: A Guide Dogs Journey back in August. He has so much to be proud of.

He will speak at the upcoming International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Congressin Ottawa this month on patient-centred care. We cant wait to see you there, Ollie! He's also been asked to speak at the CNIB's Day on Parliament next month.

(Photo: Ollie and Dawn pose in front of the Canadian Cancer Society backdrop on their Day on the Hill).

Here is part of Dawns message for all of them:

With love and gratitude always,

The Acosta-Pickering Family: Dawn, Mario, Abby and Ollie

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A Mother's Letter to Staff - CHEO