It may have felt like spring in the air, but the water was still freezing cold. 47 teams and more than 300 people dipped into a frigid Lake Erie in Port Stanley, Ont. on Saturday to raise money for Childcan. “I got diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, which is a bone cancer in my ribs,” said Micayla Steele Lapointe, 14, whose family was taking part in the annual Polar Dip. “I went through 14 rounds of treatment and 28 days of radiation and a bunch of surgeries. But I did it and I’m here.” The 14-year-old Londoner was one of many child cancer survivors taking part in the annual event. Even though the temperature reached double-digits during the hour-long event, firefighters still needed to cut out a chunk of the ice, and it rained most of the time that dippers went in. “You never know what [weather] you’re going to get,” said Suzanne Elliott, executive director of Childcan. “The enthusiasm is always over the top. People will come out, come rain, shine, solid ice. They’ll show up and do it with pride.” The fundraising goal was $100,000 and before they event stepped foot in the water, they had passed that total. “Childcan provides real, tangible supports to families and kids who hear the words their child has cancer,” said Elliott. “From covering the cost of parking to meals in hospital, we provide real, tangible financial support and the reason we can do that is because of fundraisers like this.” Steele Lapointe has first-hand experience how the proceeds from the polar dip can help. Her family received emotional and financial support during her treatment. “They would give us meal vouchers and if I was craving a little Tim Horton’s or something, I would always be able to get some,” said Steele Lapointe. “The workers there were always so sweet. They would like, do crafts with me or they would just talk with me and figure out what I liked. They would ask if I wanted to do it and it made my time really good.” She rang the bell on Dec. 19, ending her expected time in hospital. “I was hysterically bawling,” joked Steele Lapointe. “It was such a nice day. Hopefully the cancer is dead, and I’ll have no more surgeries. I’m so blessed.” More photos from the event are available here.
