Edmonton students pedal for child cancer research
Posted May 19, 2022 4:24 pm.
Last Updated May 20, 2022 9:38 am.
It’s one of the worst things any parent can hear, “Your child has cancer.”
For an Edmonton assistant principal, Kim Hordal-Hlewka, that news became reality when her daughter was diagnosed with the disease when she was 5-year-old.
“Cancer doesn’t choose, it picks anybody,” Hordal told CityNews. The assistant principal at Michael Phair school admitted “Why it picked my 5-year-old, I don’t know.”
On Thursday, staff, and students at the school pedalled toward their goal of raising money and awareness for the Kids with Cancer Society.
Samantha was 5-years-old when she was diagnosed. (Photo Courtesy: Kim Hordal-Hlewka)
“I think it’s a very important cause that we are donating for, we are biking for this, having fun for this,” said Grade 8 student Samantha. “Because these kids deserve a life they can enjoy and they deserve all the support they can get.”
Even when Hordal was away from school for a few months to care for her daughter she still felt the love and support from the school.
“The number of people who have supported my family and Samantha through this, I really can’t put it into words,” she explained. “They rallied behind my family and my baby girl, and me as their assistant principal in a way that I truly can’t describe how much it means.”
According to the Kids with Cancer Society, cancer is the number one disease killing children from six months of age to young adulthood, yet only five per cent of cancer research funding in Canada today goes towards childhood cancer.
“Any donation helps, anything helps because when a kid gets cancer,” said grade 9 student Victoria. “They struggle, their family struggles, so anything helps.”
