Blood drive a success in ESP
Second annual event in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/09/2019 (2250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A 16-year-old cancer survivor has helped open the eyes of his home community to childhood cancer.
In January 2017, at the age of 14, Nat Shewchuk was diagnosed with leukemia. Along with chemotherapy, numerous medications, surgery, and a bone marrow transplant, he required numerous blood products during his fight with cancer.
“After what we’ve been through we want to do what we can for Canadian Blood Services,” Nat’s father, Calvin, said.
According to Canadian Blood Services, it can take up to five blood donors to help one child undergoing cancer treatment. It can take up to eight donors a week to help a child with leukemia. Since he was first diagnosed in January 2017, Nat Shewchuk received over 100 blood products including blood, plasma, and platelets.
Today, Nat is cancer-free, and should graduate in June from River East Collegiate.
“He’s doing really well,” Shewchuk said of his son. “He missed a lot of time, but he caught up doing courses in the hospital. He’s on track to graduate in June with his peers.”
On Sept. 6, Nat’s mom Kendra Nixon and Canadian Blood Services organized a blood donation drive in East St. Paul in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, after organizing a similar drive last fall.
“It was touching for me to say thank you to them,” Shewchuk said of the event, at which 90 donations were made, including eight from first-time donors.
“Not everyone does that,” Shewchuk said. “We’ve had great support from our community throughout the whole ordeal.”
Shewchuk said that while Nixon was a longtime blood donor, he had never donated until their son’s illness. Now, he is all about spreading the word.
“We let all our friends know,” he said. “We’ll definitely always be a part of helping.”
Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist
Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist
Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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