Running for Radda: A Family’s Way of Giving Back

Radda first met Campfire Circle in a hospital room at SickKids. At age nine, Radda relapsed, having first been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a common type of childhood cancer, in Bangkok, Thailand, when she was almost three years old.

“When she was at SickKids, we were there for months and Campfire Circle would come almost every day,” says Jayda, Radda’s mom. “They took the worry away and made the environment feel fun again.”

Radda’s Campfire Circle visits were something she looked forward to. Whether it was making melty beads, playing games, or singing with staff who arrived with a guitar or ukulele, the in-hospital team helped her feel like herself again.

A New Beginning in Canada

Radda and her family had recently immigrated to Canada from Thailand, leaving behind loved ones, familiarity, and support systems. When Radda’s cancer came back, they felt alone in a new country, facing an uncertain future.

“We have no family here. We have nobody,” Jayda says. “But the doctors, nurses, and Campfire Circle were so kind. That’s how we started to feel supported.”

In Thailand, Jayda explains, hospital care focused on treatment but not emotional well-being. Campfire Circle changed that experience completely.

“Before, there was no mental health support. No one asked if she wanted to play or sing,” says Jayda. “Here, people knock on the door and ask, ‘Do you want to do something fun?’ That makes all the difference.”

A Leap of Faith

Jayda decided to send Radda to overnight camp because her doctor strongly encouraged it as a way for Radda to regain her independence. “He wanted her to see that there is a whole world of joy waiting beyond the hospital walls,” says Jayda.

For Jayda, sending Radda to overnight camp for the first time was terrifying. They had never been apart, and the idea of seven days without contact felt impossible.

“It was the first time in her life we were separated,” Jayda says. “No phone, no contact, nothing. I kept thinking, ‘Can she sleep? What is she doing right now?’”

At camp, Radda thrived. She celebrated her birthday, made new friends, sang karaoke, tried adventure activities, and went swimming – something her parents never imagined she’d be able to do after everything her body had been through.

“She jumped into the lake every single day, sometimes for an hour and a half,” Jayda says. “And she didn’t even get sick. I thought, ‘this is so amazing.’”

Giving Back

This year, Radda and her family are participating in the Sporting Life 10K as a way to give back. While Radda’s dad has run the race for years, this is the first time the family is participating and fundraising together as a team.

Their motivation is deeply personal. Radda’s cancer journey included relapse, long treatments, and moments when she couldn’t even walk due to pain in her hips and knees. One Halloween, she was hospitalized and devastated to miss trick-or-treating, unable to walk while other children went off in their costumes.

That night, Campfire Circle showed up for her.

“They helped her practice walking in the hallway, and everyone was cheering, ‘She can walk, she can walk,’” says Jayda. “You can imagine that moment – it was unbelievable.”

Jayda describes Campfire Circle as something medicine alone could never provide.

“Cancer took two-and-a-half years of our lives, and we just had to keep going,” she says. “Campfire Circle came to calm everything down. They didn’t just help her – they helped our whole family.”

Today, Radda is back at school, making friends, and dreaming about becoming a nurse one day. Participating in the Sporting Life 10K is the family’s way of honouring how far she’s come.

“There are no words to explain how thankful we are,” Jayda says. “This was the most difficult time of our lives, but Campfire Circle made it lighter.”