$2,500 Raised for Leucan by Aylmer family

 

Hugh Godman

   Saturday, May 23, was a very special day for parents Joshua Alcorn and Roxanne Charbonneau. It was their daughter, Lilianne Alcorn’s birthday party. However, this was not a typical four-year-old’s birthday party, it doubled as a fundraiser for the Leucan Association of Gatineau.

   On January 9, Lilianne, or Lili, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma—a cancer that starts in immature nerve cells in the nervous system that responds to situations where you need strength and awareness, such as those cells that cause fear, anger, excitement or embarrassment (Canadian Cancer Society). After treatment, the family learned on May 22 that the four-year-old is in remission.

   Approximately 130 people were expected to attend the festivities, taking place in the family’s large backyard. At this birthday celebration, guests were encouraged to make a donation to the Leucan Association instead of giving a traditional gift to Lili or the family.

   A heart-felt speech was given during the event by Lili’s father, Joshua Alcorn. He recounted the unimaginably terrifying day he and Roxanne learned that Lili had cancer. He described the harshness of the medical treatments Lili had been through, which involved, “more [needles] than most of us here have ever had in our lifetime,” said Mr. Alcorn to the guests. To give the birthday girl the credit she deserves, the young father recounted her remarkable bravery. “I can`t count the times on my hands and feet that tears came to strangers’ eyes because of the way she demonstrated strength and determination,” he said.

   Sponsors for the BBQ fundraiser were gathered with the help of family like grand-maman and grand-papa Andrée and Michel. They approached supermarkets, corner stores and department stores, explaining just how helpful the Leucan Association had been to the family throughout the ordeal, and that the family wanted pay back the favor by hosting a fundraiser.