A four-year-old girl from the Okanagan has been fighting a rare form of cancer.
Rylie Nicholls has been on a long journey since her third birthday. After her parents noticed a bad limp and fever, they brought her to the emergency room. After testing, they were told it may be cancer and she was sent to the BC Children’s Hospital. Since then it’s been nothing but treatments for Rylie.
“We’re on 13 months of treatment. She’s done six rounds of induction chemo, high-dose radiation therapy and 12 rounds of radiation. She’s gone through two bone marrow transplants with high dose chemo,” said Rylie’s mom, Toni Nicholls.
Rylie was diagnosed with stage four metastatic neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. She was one of the first kids in B.C. to go through the clinical trials for neuroblastoma and there is currently no cure. However, money from the Dream Lottery could help change that.
“All the funds that are being raised right now can literally change the course of Rylie’s outlook,” said Nicholls.
Tickets are currently for sale for the 2022 BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Dream Lottery. Prizes include million-dollar houses in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan.
“The lottery is critical to supporting research that happens at BC Children’s Hospital,” said Surina Sproul, vice-president of marketing and communications with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The lottery provides funds for clinical trials and research that helps kids in hospital fight childhood cancer and rare diseases.
“The future of their care really lies in research. Many people don’t realize this but, we actually have more than 1200 researchers working here on-site at BC Children’s Hospital. They’re here to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Sproul.
The more tickets sold in the Dream Lottery, the more kids like Rylie get a fighting chance.
“Every dollar that goes to these tickets are helping kiddos like Rylie, like her best friends that are all at the hospital,” said Nicholls.
Tickets are available online on the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s website and in-person at Save-on-Foods and London Drugs. The draw is scheduled for Nov. 10.
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