'It broke my heart': Group donates meals to families isolating in children's cancer ward
A support group for families battling childhood cancer is helping parents and caregivers stuck self-isolating in hospital.
Parents and guardians of eight to ten children were forced to self-isolate for 12 days after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared in the children's hospital cancer ward.
While kids are still provided meals, the parents only get a bagged lunch and aren't allowed to go down to the cafeteria.
That's why Candlelighters, a childhood cancer support group, sprung into action to help supply them with dinner.
"It broke my heart to think that their families would have to be scrambling," said Naomi Fehr, Candlelighters' board chair. "So the fear of having a child with cancer - newly diagnosed, recently diagnosed - is scary enough. Never mind having to have the scare of COVID-19 on top of that."
Fehr said the group was first contacted by a mother in the ward.
Since putting out a call for help on Thursday, the group has received over $14,000 in donations and countless offers of support.
"We have received so much help. Like people offering to help, restaurants have been reaching out," said Fehr.
"I have complete strangers that are contacting me and saying, 'We're raising funds, we've got X number of days paid for.' It's just been unbelievable."
Fehr says meals for the families are covered for the next few weeks, and the group is working on a plan to buy a couple of dinners a week well into the future.
More information on the group can be found on Candlelighters' website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.