Vancouver boy paying it forward after surviving the fight of his life
Nick Cannon is gearing up for a running race to support a cause close to his heart.
Over the past few years, Nick spent more than 170 days in hospital battling a rare form of stage 4 cancer.
"I mean when you go through all that, you don't feel the greatest, I have to admit," said the 14-year-old.
"We were given one of the worst diagnoses a parent can receive -- maybe, maybe not survive," said Kelly Cannon, Nick's mother.
The lengthy treatment involved bouts with chemo, radiation and nearly twenty operations.
In 2021, Vancouver's West Side community rallied to throw a celebration sendoff prior to Nick's final round of chemotherapy. Nick says the support helped lift his spirts and credits the BC Children's Hospital staff with keeping him alive.
"They would always be like just helping me, making me feel comfortable at all times," said Nick. "It was pretty amazing."
Since then, Nick and his family have made it their mission to give back and help support other children going through the fight of their lives. Nick will be running next Sunday in the RBC Race for the Kids.
“He’s one of the folks that has had a happy ending," said Rita Thodos with the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. "There’s 20 per cent of the kids in oncology (who are) patients that don’t make it, and so we continue fundraising for research and various other programs in the hospital."
“When I was going through it, people ran for me and that made me feel amazing," said Nick. "I hope I can do the same thing for them.”
Nick is now in remission, back at school and feeling healthy while looking at life through a new lens.
"It's wonderful to see," said Kelly Cannon. "It's actually the most joy I've ever had."
While the Vancouver race is at capacity, there are other ways to contribute and participate in the fundraiser.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.