Who am I?

Hello everyone! My name is Gabrielle Botindari, Gabby for short, and I'm a freshman at Oakville Senior High School. I'm so unbelievably thrilled to be a candidate for the Students of the Year campaign, but even more so to kick off my own campaign! Ever since I was a little girl, the dream dearest to my heart has always been to make a change in the world; to have an impact that would change the lives of many. The thing that has always made me feel the most warm inside is seeing how you can make someone's face light up by doing something kind for them, no matter how big or small that may be; being able to make somebody feel grateful that there is still good in the world. When I saw that there was an opportunity for a regular person like me to make an impact, I couldn't believe what my own two eyes were showing me. The Students of the Year program really shows that people just like you and I really can make a difference, as well as fulfilling their dream of helping bring light into the lives of others. Being the granddaughter of such an amazing, inspiring breast cancer survivor, and the granddaughter of another phenomenal woman who didn't quite win her battle, has made me all the more determined to help save the lives of so many other people just like my grandmothers; Strong and willing people who are fighting one of the toughest battles out there and still wearing a smile. Warriors, like the two astounding children I will be representing during my campaign, Johnny and Alexia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johnny - Our Boy of the Year

When Johnny was just 4 years old, his mother Sarah began to notice hard lumps, about the size of marbles, forming behind his ears. With obvious concern, she alerted his primary care doctor and was soon reassured that Johnny was alright; that the lumps behind his ears were just swollen lymph nodes, a common side effect of most viruses; but a month and a half later, Sarah noticed that the lumps had not gone away, but multiplied, spreading to the back of his neck. Growing worried, she again scheduled him an appointment with his doctor, only again to be reassured that it was just another virus.

As the months went by, Johnny's condition continued to deteriorate. The number of lumps on his neck had multiplied, and his head began to take affect, too. Fevers became a frequent occurrence, and his appetite began to decay, along with his levels of energy. As time flew by, Johnny only seemed to be getting smaller and weaker, often waking up in the middle of the night in fits of agony within his legs and arms.

Fed up with doctors not giving her son a true diagnosis, Sarah took Johnny to an oncologist at the beginning of the new year, alerted by the ever growing lumps on her son, and his constant feverish condition. When Johnny was tested, he was found to have a significantly low amount of red blood cells and a high amount of white blood cells, which was obviously extremely concerning. Because of this alerting discovery, Johnny was immediately scheduled to have his lumps biopsied by a surgeon. After a long stay in the waiting room, fear hanging like a dark cloud over her head, Johnny's mom was given the the horrible news that would change her life forever. The surgeon revealed to her that Johnny's tumors were in fact cancerous, and was scheduled for a lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy. It was after the results were gathered when Sarah was told that Johnny had B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Along his journey, Johnny has had some complications. He has suffered irreversible brain damage from one of his chemo treatments, and now suffers seizures, but after a change in chemo, Johnny's life has changed for the better. The family is starting to find their new normal, and have found that this experience has established stronger bonds between one another. Johnny, as well as his family, thank you for having the room in your heart to join the fight for a cure!

Alexia - Our Girl of the Year

Alexia's mother was always told to prepare for the "terrible two's," the walking, the talking. She was given endless amounts of tips and pieces of advice on being a new parent; what to expect, what to be excited for, but what she was never given was the advice she so desperately needed when he heard the doctor say "We found some abnormal cells. Alexia has Leukemia." She was devastated. How could this happen to her family? This wasn't something that occurred in the families like hers, families with sweet little girls who were just starting their journeys in life. That same day, Alexia was placed into surgery and was started on chemotherapy treatments immediately.

Alexia's parents started to see a side of her that they had never seen before when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Their little girl was suffering continous fevers, most of them being extremeley difficult to keep in control, the only way to stop them being continous medication.  The medicines caused extreme weight loss, loss of appetite, and trouble with daily tasks we all take for granted, like walking. But after the months began to pass by, a light started to show at the end of the tunnel. With the help of physical therapy, Alexia began to gain her mobility back. So much so that two weeks before Christmas, the strong and determined Alexia was up and about on her own again!

Seeing their little girl's face light up with a genuine smile was the biggest gift that Alexia's parents could have ever gotten that Christmas. Alexia, as well as her family, thank you for the gift of life that you have given her by having the room in your heart to fight for a cure!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are a visitor, I appreciate you being a part of my campaign. It means everything to me to have the opportunity to save lives, and I hope it means everything to you as well. Donations are greatly appreciated, and absolutely anything helps. Every dollar is a dollar more than the LLS had yesterday! Thank you for joining the fight for a cure!