Every morning when nine-year-old Willow Kemp, from Toronto, wakes up, she hears the sound of her brother, Hunter, calling out for her. She pads along the corridor to his bedroom for “snuggles”, doing her best to lift his spirits if he is having a high-pain day.
After surviving childhood leukaemia, Hunter, 13, has been left suffering from debilitating, chronic pain that often leaves him bedbound. Despite being four years older than Willow, Hunter has nicknamed his little sister “mini-mom” because of the caring role she has taken on in his life. Although their mother, Sitara, 47, is Hunter’s primary carer, Willow helps her brother with everything from medication to fetching him what he needs, massages during episodes of chronic pain, and extensive emotional support.