But little did her family know that the “Hope” on the horizon would be a Labrador retriever.
In the months after the diagnosis, Ollie lost his sight because of the disease. A short time later, he received a stem cell transplant from his older sister, Abby.
Feeling overwhelmed navigating cancer treatments and Ollie’s blindness, Dawn looked for resources to help her son and was pointed towards the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and, more specifically, its Guide Dog program.
“When we heard about the program, it really did actually give him hope,” Dawn said. “It’s really hard when you have a seven-year-old, who’s that sick, to try and keep them motivated to want to go through all the pain and all the treatments.” Ollie knew he had to get better to take care of a dog, though, and that was the motivation he needed.