Chloë’s Cancer Journey
A family navigating osteosarcoma, amputation, and recovery — one step at a time.
After a long five-and-a-half-week emergency admission, Chloë was finally discharged and able to return home. Sleeping in her own bed, seeing Charlotte again after weeks of limited contact due to viral restrictions, and being reunited with the dogs brought a noticeable lift. It was a relief for all of us to have her home.
🌼 March & April Update
Recovery, Setbacks, and Moving Toward the Finish Line
Mood
Chloë has been grateful to be home and surrounded by familiar comforts. At the same time, she remains anxious about getting sick again. Her hair has begun to grow back, which has helped her confidence and brought some much-needed brightness.
This Month in Treatment
Just over a week after coming home, Chloë returned to CHEO on Easter Sunday for routine pre-chemo bloodwork. What was meant to be a quick visit turned into another unexpected admission — this time for pneumonia and C. difficile, only shortly after recovering from the same infection during her longer stay. She remained in hospital until Thursday.
Thankfully, repeat bloodwork 48 hours later showed improvement, and she was able to avoid re-admission and spend a few quiet days at home before treatment resumed.
On March 24, we spent my 50th birthday together in the Medical Day Unit — a place that has become a second home. The staff surprised me with an “I’m 50” balloon, and although it wasn’t the birthday I imagined, it was meaningful in its own way. That day also marked the first of her final two outpatient chemo days.
Chloë was admitted again today for Methotrexate and will likely remain for most of the week. If all goes well, she will have a couple of days at home before returning next week for what we hope will be the last week of the last cycle of chemotherapy.
Where We Are Now
This phase marks the end of active treatment and the beginning of recovery and rehabilitation. Due to nerve damage sustained during her longer admission, both Plastic Surgery and Neurology have joined her care team moving forward.
Chloë will also begin follow-up with the Amputee Clinic at the Children’s Treatment Centre on the CHEO campus. As she gets older, she will transition into the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) program at The Ottawa Hospital.
Her Make-A-Wish Canada package arrived recently. Chloë hopes to travel to Costa Rica to see geckos — a theme that followed her throughout her time at CHEO, even appearing as drawings on her ICU room door.
How Chloë Is Doing
Chloë is doing as well as possible. She continues to recover from pneumonia, C. diff, and Covid, and is working through fatigue, weakness, and nerve pain. Emotionally, she has had ups and downs, but being home, reconnecting with family, and seeing her hair begin to grow again have helped. She is eager to be finished treatment and is looking forward to becoming involved from a youth perspective in programs that support teens with cancer.
Family & Life
Charlotte has been thrilled to have her big sister home. The dogs have been a comfort, and the grandmothers have stepped in once again to help keep everything moving.
Last week, I attended my first meeting of the Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council. It was my first chance to meet other Golden Moms and to learn more about the AYA program and the work of POGO, who have been an invaluable support — especially financially — throughout this time. I’m looking forward to contributing as a parent of a teenager in active treatment.
Gratitude
We remain deeply grateful for the teams who continue to care for Chloë with skill and compassion — the ICU staff, oncology nurses and physicians, the MDU team, Plastics, Neurology, Rehabilitation, and the many others who have supported her along the way. We are also grateful for POGO, Make-A-Wish, and the community around us.
One step, one day, one treatment at a time 💛