My daughter Beth is 17 years old, she graduated grade 12 in May 2024. Beth was accepted into SAIT for the Culinary Arts program in September 2024. Beth had three brain surgeries in November 2020. She just turned 14 and missed out on her grade nine year of school to stay home and recover. Beth was told by her ophthalmologist she could be one in a million to have a brain tumour. Well she was that one in a million as she was diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of a golf ball.
This is one of the many health challenges Beth experienced in her life along with complex learning challenges and ADHD due to neurofibromatosis. This is something she was born with and it created a battle to learn which began in grade one. This illness causes tumours to grow in the nerves. There is so much I know about it and so much I wish I didn’t know about it as a parent.
For Beth to be successful in life many people have walked with her on her journey this far. Daycare workers, before and after school programs, teachers, librarians, church youth programs, ministries, friends, Jordan’s Principle, First Nations Health Consortium and family.
As a parent I didn’t even know what Jordan’s Principle was about. A friend told me years ago when Beth needed a bed that could elevate her head and shoulders after her surgeries. You know there were many times I couldn’t even look up a phone number for lack of emotional and mental strength to reach out for help with my daughter. So I left a lot of things undone when it came to seeking help for Beth. At my all time lowest, an application was made for Beth by Destiny at FNHC and with her came Robin from the FNHC into our lives.
These women showed so much support and respect for Beth and myself when life hit hard from 2020 to today. Destiny and Robin assisted Beth with applications for the bed she needed after her surgeries, assistance was provided for Beth’s grade 12 graduation and her school fees. At this point Beth was also grieving the loss of her oldest sister Sara.
Assistance was applied for again to Jordan’s Principle as a prevention of homelessness for Beth and I as a single parent. Not by choice, Beth grew up without her dad. As he also had neurofibromatosis and passed away when Beth was 17 months old. This has always been something Beth hasn’t quite come to accept and still grieves on some level. So with all the pain came some lifting of burdens with the help of Destiny and Robin.
The second time of near homelessness I reached out to them. At the time it was mostly just to vent. I sent a text to both of them regarding ‘no lease renewal’ from my landlord. They both responded to the text and I realized I didn’t have to carry this burden alone. Just to have someone show compassion and caring was a lot. Destiny made another application to Jordan’s Principle which emergency short-term housing was approved and again Beth and I felt a burden lifted. We would not be homeless. Sometimes when I think we hit rock bottom I come to understand rock bottom has another level. From Destiny and Robin at FNHC to Kathy at FNHC’s SARF (Service Access Resolution Fund) we didn’t hit the rock bottom of rock bottom.
We are assured Robin will continue to assist Beth with supports during her young adult years while she makes her way through SAIT. Life has not been easy for Beth, she is my miracle. Her attitude towards life seems always to be positive, yet she grieves quietly in her own way. So regardless of the challenges we face together, when I say ‘we’, I refer to everyone who has joined us in Beth’s journey.
Beth’s success is ‘our’ success as well. Thank you so much Robin, Destiny & Kathy. God bless you.
- – Germain