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Victoria
Victoria, sister Natasha and her parents, Roger and Kris, are a tight-knit family. The whole family is involved in competitive swimming; the sisters swim with the Manitoba Marlins Swim Club, Roger is president of the club and Kris does a lot of chauffeuring and cheering. Until she became ill, sixteen year-old Victoria was a leading member of the club, with A level times in all four strokes while her sister had her sights set on beating the times of Olympic champion, Rhiannon Leier. In September of 2002, Victoria noticed a lump in her neck. Thinking it might be a pulled muscle, she mentioned it to her parents. A physiotherapist quickly ruled out a muscle pull. They got in to see a pediatrician who expressed concern and arranged for blood work and x-rays. "He asked us to wait for the results," Kris told me. "We walked the test results back to his office, and that's when he told us he didn't like what he saw." Victoria hadn't been anxious until the tests were ordered; now her fear and uncertainty grew quickly. The next day, after an examination confirmed another 12 cm mass in her chest, the Lapointe family listened together as Victoria was told that she had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. "We were all just pretty quiet," said Kris. "Victoria had always been healthy and never complained. Now we knew we were in trouble." When pushed for a response, Victoria simply said, "Things happen." Roger says he was amazed that the next day they were told that a CT scan had been arranged for Friday of that same week. Kris is more emphatic: "It was by the grace of God that everything moved so quickly." Within a week of mentioning the lump, it was removed and biopsied. Within two weeks of the first visit to the pediatrician, Victoria was getting her first chemotherapy treatment. The family greatly appreciated the care Victoria received from Dr. Sara Israels, Head of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and her entire staff. What touched all of us about Victoria's story was the fact that the Manitoba Marlins Swim Club was as tightly knit and supportive as her family. On November 27, 2002, Victoria's best friend and teammate, Chelsea Wardrope, along with another twenty swimmers, five swimmers' parents and some of the coaching staff congregated at the Pan Am Pool to have hairdressing students from Sturgeon Creek Collegiate shave their heads. "We both cried when Chelsea's blonde hair began falling to the floor," Victoria told me, "but then I pulled off my toque and wig and everyone began laughing and clapping." The Bald is Beautiful event raised over $2,100 for CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, and these funds are helping advance cancer research. What an amazing thing for an amazing group of people to do!
Victoria underwent four chemotherapy cycles and, as of this past October, follow-up tests showed that she is entirely free of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She's swimming again and "looking to break 30 seconds in the 50 metre freestyle."
As your family gathers to count its blessings this holiday season, please consider a contribution to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. We'll use your gift to help others like Victoria live healthy post-cancer lives as they swim toward their goals. Thank you, and all the best for the holidays, |
Victoria Lapointe and her family are upbeat and celebratory as they prepare for the holiday season this year. Last year was a very different story. I'm delighted to say that CancerCare Manitoba had a hand in getting the Lapointes 'back in the swim of things' again.
