You heard it right - I'm shaving my head in solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during treatment, while raising critical funds for childhood cancer research!
My inspiration for this and always in my heart is a beautiful little girl, named Tori Lorranne who lost her battle with leukemia in 2008. Please read her story below so you can understand how important and meaningful your donation will be and how you can make a difference without having to harm a single hair on your head!
To make a donation, click on "Make A Donation" or donate by mail or phone.
Thank you for your support!
Tori Lorranne was born to Brenda Baker and Arthur Slade by C-section on July 19, 2003, almost exactly three days after her mother went into labour. From the very beginning Tori's life had its complications, but these never tainted or diminished her parents' or family's love for her. If anything, they made the experience of caring for Tori more profound.
Upon her birth it was obvious that she had Down syndrome. What was less obvious was that she also had epilepsy, which was not triggered until Tori was about one, and was not diagnosed until she was two and a half. Until age one she had developed quite normally. Likely it was the epilepsy that prevented her from rolling over (which she had done as an infant) or walking. Toward the end of her life she was learning to sit up by herself. She never talked, but was able to vocalize and make most of her emotions and needs understood.
From early on, Tori and her parents enjoyed the company of a group of families, all of whom had children with Down syndrome, born about the same time as Tori. At the age of three Tori began attending a morning pre-school program at John Dolan School in Saskatoon. A special school bus would pick her up in her wheelchair and bring her home. She seemed to enjoy all that school had to offer, especially the Snoezelen Room, an amazing gym-like environment with huge stimulating light and sound toys. In 2007, Tori was the top fundraiser in her school for the RiKi Walkathon, and the same year she appeared on Saskatchewan's Telemiracle where, with technological help, she presented her school's donation.
Tori also attended Sunday school at Grosvenor Park United Church and was well known and loved in the Nutana community where she lived. Most of all she was cherished by the extended Baker and Slade families, her babysitters and respite worker, and she enjoyed many wonderful visits with both sets of grandparents, who doted on her. She was, after all, the only granddaughter on both sides of the family and she had eleven male cousins! Consequently, her middle name was a combination of her grandmothers' second names: Lorraine and Anne.
Tori loved hanging out with Mom and Dad, and was always happy to sing action songs, cuddle, and give kisses in her special way. She loved watching Baby Einstein DVDs on her personal player, often laughing out loud at some puppet or other. But her greatest love by far was playing her eight-note piano. She had a dozen different kinds of pianos, but the eight-note one remained her favourite. Sometimes she would throw her head back as she hammered away at it, as if enraptured by her own spontaneous compositions.
Tori died seventeen days short of her fifth birthday, after a six-week battle with leukemia, a tragic and horrific end to such a beautiful life. She rallied time and again, and remained herself to the last moment. Her body could not support her will to live. Four hundred people attended her Celebration of Life, and she has forever changed many people's understanding of what it means to be fully human.
