Meet the 2026 CHEO Champion who will represent patients and the hospital in the community

A 13-year-old cancer survivor and mental health advocate was named CHEO’s Champion for 2026. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

Kayden has been named the 2026 CHEO Champion, representing the hospital and patients in the community, while advocating for mental health and sharing his cancer recovery story over the next year.

“I am very excited,” he told CTV News Ottawa. “I am looking forward to meeting new people, getting to understand new stories and just being able to help more people throughout this year.”

The 13 year-old is a cancer survivor and mental health advocate. Kayden plans to share his story and journey with others.

“I love just sharing my story with people and telling them what they could expect if they were to have something similar to me,” he said.

At the age of 8, Kayden says he started experiencing “very bad migraines,” eventually leading to a cancer diagnosis. After nearly two years of treatment, which included brain surgery, chemotherapy, and specialized proton radiation therapy delivered in Boston, he also turned to CHEO for mental health support.

“Some people tell me, like when cancer is done, it’s done — it’s not,” he says. “Cancer can hit you in a lot of different ways; and what it hit me a year later, was the mental health issues. I had started having not nice thoughts and things weren’t going so good.”

He says he met a therapist named Emily at CHEO, who helped him “get all of those bad thoughts out of my head.”

Kayden steps into the role represent CHEO patients through the Children’s Miracle Network Champions Program. The role comes with special perks, like visiting Disney World.

“It’s my first ever plane ride,” Kayden says.

His new role was announced at CHEO’s first ever retail round table, where corporate partners met Kayden, and learned all about what the hospital does.

“If it weren’t for CHEO, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” Kayden said.

“I think it kind of helps Kayden’s healing journey too,” says his mother, Kelly-Anne. “Helping other kids like talking in front of people, it actually it’s very therapeutic.”

“Kayden just rose to the surface,” says CHEO Foundation President & CEO Steve Read. “He’s got such a great spirit about him. He’s been through a very difficult diagnosis, but he defines himself as a dancer and just brings joy to everybody that meets him. And we can’t wait to have him as our champion.”

Kayden takes over from last year’s champion, Lu, who offers some words of advice, “have fun.”

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App