‘They created a bond’: Making new friends while battling rare cancer

In the latest edition of More Tomorrow’s Together, CTV’s Jon Hendricks shares how two children who are battling cancer have become close friends.

Every pair of friends has a story about how they met.

Abby and Kwintyn are no different, though the way they met is a little different — in the Children’s Oncology ward at Health Sciences Centre.

“Kwintyn was diagnosed with stage three Burkitt Lymphoma,” said Kimberly Dziedzic, Kwintyn’s mother. “It’s a fairly rare form of cancer. Very fast-growing. Very aggressive.”

Strangely, he wasn’t the only kid being treated for this type of lymphoma at the hospital. So was Abby, who was diagnosed just a few days after Kwintyn.

“She definitely had a hard time with being away from her friends,” recalled Anne Snyder, Abby’s mother. “And she’s a really social kid.”

Both Abby and Kwintyn missed their families and friends. Then, the two kids battling the same rare cancer and having nearly identical treatment plans, found each other and became fast friends.

“We watched funny videos on his computer,” Abby told CTV News. “And it was funny!”

“They created a bond, I think, built on mischief and candy, a lot of it,” said Dziedzic.

Both Abby and Kwintyn are now out of the hospital, but the friendship continues to this day.

Soon, they will have another activity to do together – Challenge for Life, an annual fundraising event run by the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, as co-captains.

Attendees will gather at Assiniboine Park for either a five or 20-kilometre walk, or a full morning of movement with 200 minutes of exercise.

“They realize the need to give back,” said Dziedzic. “And help people have as good of an experience as they did during their cancer journey.”

Challenge for Life will be held on June 13th. More information is available on CancerCare Manitoba Foundation’s website.