Family, friends of 15-year-old Vancouver cancer survivor raise $5 million for BC Children's Hospital
A Vancouver teen who survived an extremely rare cancer diagnosis has left his mark on BC Children's Hospital.
In fact, he's left his name there.
The Team Nicky Hospital Chair in Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant will provide ongoing funding for specialized care and innovative treatments and programs at BC Children's.
The chair is named for Nicholas "Nicky" Cannon, who – at age 12 back in 2021 – was diagnosed with Stage 4 sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer.
Now 15 and cancer free, Nicky – who also goes by Nick – spent more than 170 days in the hospital, enduring 13 rounds of chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, 19 surgeries, liver ablation therapy, and three weeks of radiation.
"Team Nicky" is the community group that came together to support the boy during his ordeal, and it has transformed into a fundraising machine since his cancer went into remission.
"Team Nicky started before we were raising funds," said Kelly Cannon, Nicky's mother, in an interview with CTV News.
"Team Nicky came together as a community that was helping us bring soup to our door and meals to our place up at the hospital and just cards of cheer."
Kelly said the family set the goal of endowing a chair in Nicky's name and received a $1 million donation from the Beedie Foundation toward that purpose. They've since received dozens more donations, large and small, toward the cause.
"What's unique about this is: Chairs at the hospital need to be a $5-million donation, and typically that's reserved for an incredible organization or company or a family that is able to donate that," Kelly explained.
"We're not in those circumstances, but our community was able to be in those circumstances to raise (the funds) together."
Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, head of the hospital's Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and BMT, has been named the inaugural chair holder.
"The Division of Hematology, Oncology and BMT is united in our focus to provide exceptional care to our patients and their families," said Strahlendorf in a news release announcing the Team Nicky donation.
"Together, with the support of the generous Team Nicky community of donors, we can help create a brighter future for every child diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder."
Nicky himself told CTV News he's deeply thankful for everyone who donated.
"Seeing a community rally around us and be able to raise $5 million, it's pretty incredible to see," he said. "Even $1,000 is worth everything because it's just getting put into a place where it's getting used to make a child's life better."
Kelly was similarly grateful for the support, and to see her community respond to help other children going through what her son experienced.
"It moves me beyond measure to know that it's not just for Nicky," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A turbulent campaign nears its finale as Americans choose between Harris and Trump
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancour headed for its Election Day finale on Tuesday, as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Suspect seen shooting man during Toronto-area home invasion in new video
Police have released video footage that appears to show a suspect shooting a man who had attempted to intervene in a home invasion in York Region on Monday night.
How exit polls work and what they will tell us on election night
Exit polls are a set of surveys that ask voters whom they voted for, as well as additional questions about their political opinions, the factors they considered in the election and their own backgrounds more broadly.
Trump snaps at reporter when asked about abortion: 'Stop talking about that'
Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure -- and getting testy about it.
Government calls $9M condo purchase an 'operational decision'
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly defends the purchase of a $9 million condo for the Consulate General of New York City at a parliamentary committee, as a necessary investment.
Lamborghini driver who crashed into parked cars while trying to pass streetcar sentenced to prison
A mortgage broker who totalled his Lamborghini and left a passenger with life-altering injuries after trying to pass a Toronto streetcar at nearly three times the speed limit has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
'I’m not proud of it': Jason Kelce apologizes after video shows him spiking a cellphone after fan used a homophobic slur
Jason Kelce issued an apology during ESPN's 'Monday Night Countdown' after a viral video captured a 'heated moment' between the retired Super Bowl champion and a fan over the weekend.
B.C.'s chief electoral officer defends election integrity after 'human errors'
British Columbia's chief electoral officer says "extremely challenging weather conditions" and a new voting system factored into human errors that saw ballots go uncounted in the provincial election — though none were large enough to change results.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.