Paige

When 11-year-old Paige from Saskatoon, SK. stayed home from her school’s Terry Fox Run due to leg pain, she had no idea she was about to face challenges similar to those endured by Terry Fox himself.

In September 2023 when the persistent ache in Paige’s left leg would not subside,  Steve, Paige’s dad, took her to a walk-in clinic for an X-ray. By Monday, the clinic called back with concerning news. They had seen something unusual in the X-ray and Paige’s mom, Andrea, took her to Saskatchewan’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. They spent the evening undergoing various tests, including more X-rays, an MRI and a chest CT scan.

The following Thursday, Paige had a biopsy. The next two weeks that followed were filled with anxiety and fear leading up to discovering Paige’s diagnosis; Osteosarcoma.

“I totally never thought it would be cancer,” said Andrea. “You know, when your kid is complaining, you just think it’s shin splints or growing pains or something just regular like that. I felt shocked, scared and terrified.”

Paige took on her new battle bravely with her sense of humor still kicking around. “I was excited to miss school but sad about losing my hair. I was more scared of losing my hair than my leg because I didn’t want to look like Dad,” said Paige.

Paige, Andrea and Steve all held on to the hope of saving Paige’s leg and were thankful to have Saskatchewan’s dedicated children’s hospital nearby. 

“Knowing there is a provincial children’s hospital in Saskatchewan, you feel so much more optimistic about the prognosis. It gave us a lot of confidence,” said Andrea. “We are so lucky to live so close to the hospital and to have this right in our backyards attracting the best of the best oncology (professionals),” she continued.

Paige underwent six rounds of chemotherapy.

One terrifying episode occurred when Paige went into anaphylactic shock due to a drug given after chemotherapy. Steve remembered Paige’s confidence that doctors and nurses would handle the situation. And they did, but it was a harrowing experience for the whole family. As the treatment progressed, they connected with a medical team in Calgary for a limb salvage surgery. The procedure lasted an exhausting 19 hours.

Throughout her hospital stays, Paige found joy in small things like crocheting baby whales, working with resin, making creations with her rainbow loom, and activities funded by the Mosaic Child Life Program. 

“I loved the Treats and Treasures Cart that came up to give me activities when I wasn’t allowed to leave my room,” said Paige. She enjoyed the time she could spend in the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club Teen Lounge, where she played foosball quite well when she could stand. Her family is thankful for the innovative and world-class facility at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital that allowed their family to spend time together in their private room.

Paige is now in remission. She continues routine weekly clinic visits for blood work at JPCH, but her journey is not quite finished. She recently had two more surgeries on her leg wound, including a skin graft, can walk on crutches and is able to bear about 50% of her weight on her leg. In a few months she hopes to bear full weight on her leg for the first time in eight months. 

“We’re just so lucky to live in a time where we have this children’s hospital that is saving lives. We had a lot of confidence in the hospital and the staff,” said Steve. 

Please donate to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation to help kids like Paige.