A persistent fever landed nearly three-year-old Wade Butter in the hospital just before his birthday in 2023.
“We kind of sensed something was wrong and called his family doctor. And that’s when it all started,” said Nichole Fink, Wade’s mother.
A visit to their local hospital in Cambridge, Ontario, confirmed the family’s worst nightmare.
“The pediatrician started doing tests and it was positive for cancer,” recalled Adam Butter, Wade’s father. “From there we went into a blur.”
“It’s not something you could imagine happening to your child,” Fink said.
Things moved quickly when doctors determined Wade would need specialized care elsewhere. Fink and Wade were transported by Ornge Ambulance to McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. Butter followed him in the family van. Their other son, John, remained with the family.
“(I) was crying the whole way,” Butter said. “I couldn’t believe it… it was surreal. But when I was in front of Wade, I did everything I could to hold on. And then as soon as I was alone, it collapsed.
Wade Butter was diagnosed with cancer just before his third birthday in 2023.
Nicole Fink
It takes the family about an hour to get from their home to the hospital. It’s a move they’ve repeated dozens of times as they continue to deal with Wade’s cancer diagnosis.
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Part of their trip included a 17-day stay at the Ronald McDonald House, a few blocks from the hospital. Butter said receiving this support was essential for their family.
“We might have, you know, one square meal a day, maybe two,” Butter said. “It just allowed us to focus more on being Wade’s parents, John’s parents, so that the burden of life, just like daily chores, cooking and cleaning, was taken off our shoulders. “
But the reality across Canada is that there isn’t enough space to accommodate everyone. Last year, around 18,000 families remained on their properties. But Ronald McDonald House Charities President and CEO Kate Horton said an average of four out of five families still can’t get a room when they need one.
“We are simply turning away too many families from Ronald McDonald House Charities due to lack of space or no program options available,” Horton said.
As a result, many families must drive long distances to be able to accompany their children during treatment or hospital stay. RMHC data suggests that with only 16 specialty children’s hospitals serving the entire country, travel is unavoidable for 65 percent of Canadian families who live outside of one. town with a children’s hospital.
“Families have traveled, if you can believe it, 5.2 million miles to be near their sick child, which is more than 130 times around the world,” Horton said.
The organization is calling on Canadians to support the charity as it strives to achieve its ambitious goal of doubling its footprint over the next five years.
Kate Horton, president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Global News
Fink knows the power of being able to step away and take care of yourself for an hour or two while balancing the needs of a sick child.
“Just being able to get away from the craziness of what’s going on in the hospital and take some time for yourself, I think, got me through a lot of really difficult days,” Fink said.
The difficult days for the family are not over. Wade is still receiving treatment and the family continues to travel back and forth between the hospital and their home – a long journey they know all too well.
At any time, the family knows things could change and they might need the Ronald McDonald House again. But for now, Wade’s parents say they’re moving forward with caution and hope.
“You can’t think about anything other than finishing the day and just wishing, really wishing it would go well,” Butter said.