Sara Ghaney is 16 years old and attends Grade 11. She has a love for and is active in the arts. She is in the drama group, plays badminton and she excels at drawing and writing. In April 2022, after months of feeling tried and unwell, with unsuccessful treatment, Sara was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma Stage IIIb – considered a high-risk category. This was a shocking and scary diagnosis. She was immediately admitted to hospital for more diagnostic tests, surgery to insert a port and treatment. Sara started an intensive chemotherapy regimen right away.
Throughout Sara’s treatments, she had numerous admissions, both planned and unplanned for high fevers. At one point, she was admitted to PICU for septic shock. It was a very difficult and stressful time for her and our family. Early on in her treatment and throughout, we heard about the Candlelighters and how much they supported kids with cancer and their families, including Camp Delight. She completed her treatments at the end of July. Thankfully, her treatments were a success, and she rang the Bell of Hope in August.
Camp started one week after she completed treatment. She was so nervous at first but when we picked her up at the end of Camp Delight, she was beaming. She had time to get to know other kids who had shared experiences and made good friends. The timing was perfect. In her words “Camp Delight is my favourite place. It comforted me when I needed it most and I was very lucky to have gone there”. And she can’t wait for Camp Delight 2023!