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.