Nora Turkevics and Adrian Miles

As in past years I am pleased to make a donation to Meagan’s Walk in memory of Meagan Bebenek. Five-year-old Meagan died in June 2001 after a six month battle with brain stem glioma, a terminal form of brain cancer. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Meagan she has certainly left a loving and lasting impression on my closest friends who had the privilege of being her neighbour.

The community in Toronto’s west end where Meagan lived rallied to support her family in their mission to raise hope, awareness and research funding for pediatric brain tumours by organizing a yearly fundraiser. Meagan’s Walk is held each year on Mother’s Day. What started off in 2002 as a local Toronto charity event has snowballed and this year it was confirmed that in 32 different cities and towns across Canada - down into the United States, and over into Europe, children and their families walked in union with the Toronto group. The walk ends at The Hospital for Sick Children with all the participants forming a human hug around the Hospital to give hope to those children inside. This year more than 1,500 participants raised over $120,000.

Following are some words of hope given by Denise Bebenek, Meagan’s mother:

“The Hospital for Sick Children/Brainchild is committed to helping children afflicted with brain tumours and their families with the support they need on their journey. It is my hope that this walk will demonstrate to these afflicted children that we are here as beacons of hope for them and their future. On this Mothers Day we realize that each child is a gift to be cherished. With each premature death, we realize the loss of outstanding potential. Do we just let that potential go? Or do we take on their potential and fight to save young lives. Our passion for life and for helping children who’s lives are threatened, exemplified by being here today demonstrates that we are all making a difference. What keeps us going in times of despair is hope. It is hope that has inspired all of us to be here today. We derive our hope from the contagious optimism of the young patients at the Hospital for Sick Children. They seem to know that hope can be trusted. Let us learn from them”.