Kelowna

Photo: Adam Proskiw

Last year Castanet.net brought its readers the story of Faith, a 12-year-old Kelowna girl who was diagnosed with cancer in September.

At the time, she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in Vancouver for Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Members of the community rallied together to raise awareness and funds for her situation and her family.

Faith traveled to Vancouver in late December to undergo four days of tests, in order to see how the cancer was responding to the treatments. The family recently received word that treatments would be reduced from 12 appointments to eight, because the cancer is responding so well.

She had her final treatment last week and will travel to Vancouver at the end of the month for more tests to ensure the cancer has stopped growing. Over the next two years she will get regular checkups every three months, then every six months for three years, and finally every year for the rest of her life.

Members of the community and other families at Heritage Christian School have raised over $15,000 towards a trust fund for Faith through donations, fundraisers and benefits. The money will go towards travel expenses and medical bills – the family has already spent $5200 on travel and treatment.

Recently, the entire school got together for a show of support with students wearing monogrammed T-shirts: Hope, Love, Faith.

The next fundraiser is a bottle drive that will be continuing from now until Feb. 23. Bottles and cans can be dropped off at Heritage Christian School or the Pursuit of Excellence Training Facility. Residents can also call 250-215-3571 for pick-up.

For more information on Faith and for updates on her progress and future events, you can visit her webpage.