A small playground in Toronto has become a safe haven for a group of Ukrainian children and their mothers.
There is laughter and joy as the children play on the slide and throw a ball. The outdoors seem to offer a place of comfort since their arrival in Canada.
“I like nature”, says Iván, “the forest, the lake and the river”. The 17-year-old is one of nine children receiving cancer treatment at the Hospital for Sick Children. Many Ukrainian children arrived at the end of March, through a special evacuation program, with their mothers and siblings.
CTV National News met with five of the families, now that they feel settled in Canada.
“I am grateful to be here,” Invaka said through a translator. She came here with her three children.
His son Ruslan had difficulty receiving cancer treatment once the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
“It was a great fear,” he said. “They couldn’t anticipate what would happen.”
She said that being in Canada brings her great joy and that her children can make new friends and learn a new language.
Dr. Sarah Alexander, a pediatric oncologist treating one of the Ukrainian patients, says the group is doing well and all medical care is going according to plan. But it is the support of the community and the resilience of families that has moved the doctors the most.
“I think the highlight is twofold. One is the profound example of resilience and the ability to navigate complicated things on the part of children and families,” said Dr. Alexander. “And the community in the hospital and outside the hospital is really coming together to support and I think both have been amazing to see and be a part of.”
That community support is made possible by organizations like the Canadian Ukrainian Congress (Home: Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) official website) and Megan’s Hug (Meagan’s HUG (meaganshug.com)), which focuses on raising awareness and funds for pediatric brain tumor research. .
Meagan’s Hug raised more than $90,000 to help support families and partnered with other groups to help provide housing, food and clothing.
“It warms my heart to see families well off, to see that they have made special friends and that their mothers have come together on a very lonely and difficult journey,” said Denise Bebenek, founder of Meagan’s Hug.
Bebenek has spent time with families since her arrival, through her own tragic experience of losing her daughter, Bebenek knows firsthand the importance of community support.
“I think the best medicine for these families is love and help and knowing that they are not alone.”
The children certainly feel that support, with many speaking positively of their time here so far.
Many are enrolled in school and enjoy attending classes.
“I like the themes,” said Maria, whose brother is undergoing cancer treatment. “I have friends at school.”
It is those new relationships that offer care, compassion and hope to these families. Ivan’s face lit up with excitement when he shared that his math teacher speaks Ukrainian.
When asked about the staff at the Sick Kids hospital, he said that they “work very hard and are friendly.”
Most families say they intend to return to Ukraine, but for now they are focused on their children’s health and maintaining some sense of normalcy while in Canada.