Michelle Zimmer

I walk for my nephew, Logan

I walk for my nephew, Logan, who was diagnosed in December 2018 with AML

The biggest challenge in my blood cancer experience has been the distance, as my nephew, Logan, lives in Houston, TX. It was hard to find meaningful ways to help, being so far away. I went down for a few extended visits, to help with my sister's other children, as Logan was in hospital for almost 6 months. My sister's friends, neighbours and I set up a meal train and school carpool. We made Lifting Logan bracelets & T-shirts to show support. A Facebook page was set-up to post updates, photos of people wearing the T-shirts and messages of encouragement.  My sister and her husband took a lot of positivity from all the Facebook posts.

In some ways, my life has been changed a lot but at the same time we've all tried to keep life as normal as possible for everyone.  The biggest change is that I always carry the worry that Logan's cancer might return.

A co-worker's cousin was diagnosed with AML in 2017 and they participated in the 2018 Light The Night. They said it was a wonderful experience!  My co-worker and I went through very similar experiences a year apart, as my nephew was diagnosed with AML in 2018. It was another way to support Logan - he participated in Light The Night in Houston.

Light The Night is a really amazing experience!  When all those lanterns get lit - when all those survivors go up to light their lanterns - it's very powerful.   The Kilometre of Remembrance (with photos of people who have passed away) is very emotional; it's a very nice tribute.

I feel Canadians should support the blood cancer community through Light The Night to support research into new treatments (a lot of the protocols they use on children are old protocols, that are really harsh, with potential long-term effects).  I feel the future is in targeted therapies - the inhibitor Logan was on saved his life – it was critical in stopping the mutation (FLT3+) to allow the chemotherapy to work. It's also important as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society offers support to people going through blood cancers. It's critical for those going though blood cancer to hear and see stories of survival - especially for someone with a high-risk form of leukemia like Logan.