Cecily Eklund was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was six years old — news that would rock any family.
“The worst thing you can ever hear is that your child has cancer,” Cecily’s mom Cathy Eklund said.
When her treatments started, Cecily wasn’t allowed to bring her doll to scans, so she and her mom made some that were MRI-friendly.
“She didn’t like going into the MRI machine without anything, and she found it very comforting,” Cathy said.
Cecily, who is now nine, described the experience as scary.
“It has a lot of loud noises and you have to stay still for a long time,” she explained.
Cecily thought the dolls might comfort other kids going through the same thing, so she set out to make more and ended up getting help from all over the world.
“We would have people send dolls from Australia and Mexico and the U.S. to help her build up a whole stash of dolls to bring into the Stollery,” Cathy said.
From there, her philanthropic spirit only grew.
“She just started wanting to do fundraising for everything,” Cathy explained.
Through a number of different initiatives over the past couple of years, she’s raised more than $70,000 for the Kids with Cancer Society — an organization that’s been there for Cecily and her family from the start.
“I like raising money, because I love giving back,” Cecily said.
To recognize Cecily’s dedication and compassion, the Kids with Cancer Society nominated the nine year old for “Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year,” which she was ultimately awarded in November at the National Philanthropy Awards.
“I couldn’t have been more proud,” Cathy said. “She’s a pretty giving child.”
In her speech, Cecily shared a powerful message.
“You don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to be super smart, you just have to be kind,” she said.
Today, Cecily is cancer-free and feels good.
“When you hit that relief of there’s no tumor in the scan — you’re just grateful,” Cathy explained.
Even in survivorship, the support from the Kids with Cancer Society continues and so does Cecily’s.
In March, she plans to do a fundraiser for her birthday with a goal of raising $10,000.