Speeches

Here are the speeches Kol gave this weekend at the Relay for Life in Outlook and at the Spring Sprint in Saskatoon. We'd also like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored us in these events and all those who were part of them!

Lake Diefenbaker Relay for Life, June 3-4 2011:

I ended up in a very poor spot to record video - all I could see was the top of his head over the crowd, so I replaced the video with some of the pictures we shot that night. The audio isn't very good either, as there was a lot of wind that evening, but you can make out most of it. Here's the text of the speech, so you can follow along:

Dad says it's good to start off a speech with a joke, and I figured that since I used to be bald, I could tell a bald joke:

A bald man went to the doctor and asked for something to cure his baldness. The doctor said "try rubbing your head with onions and garlic". The man asked "does that really work?" The doctor said "no, but no-one will come close enough to you to notice that you are bald."

Blame my dad for that. Sorry.

I'm proud to have been asked to give the survivors' speech tonight, and to be able to walk in the survivors' lap.

Mom says it's good for people to share their stories with others, because they can give us hope and encouragement. My story started just over a year ago. I had really, really bad headaches. When mom and dad took me to the hospital, scans showed a large tumour in my brain. Last year, during the Relay, I was recovering in the hospital from my brain surgery. I was still attached to tubes and I.V.s and monitors. After lots of needles, radiation, and chemo treatments over the past year, I am thankful to be here now as a cancer survivor.

When I found out I had cancer, I was sad because I thought I might not make it through. Then I got mad because I didn't want to die. I wanted to live a long and happy life. When my treatments were done, I was glad because there was a chance my tumour would be gone and I could just be a kid again.

There are some things that I've learned from having cancer.

• I don't like needles.
• Bald is beautiful. At least, that's what my grandpa tells me.
• Toques are very nice when you don't have any hair.
• When you have an MRI scan, you get to watch movies so it's not so BORING.
• There are lots of other people who have cancer too, even lots of other kids, and it's good to get to hear their stories.
• It's good to celebrate things, like having your last radiation treatment, or your last chemo treatment, or a birthday that you weren't sure you would have.
• I really don't like needles!
• The parking lot at University Hospital is expensive. At least, that's what mom and dad say.
• The things you eat can help you get well.
• It can be hard to change what you eat.
• I miss Kraft Dinner.
• I don't like most of the food from the hospital cafeteria.
• I REALLY, REALLY don't like needles!
• Sisters can be annoying, but they are really good to have around when you're sick.
• It's really good to have family and friends to help you.
• A good attitude will help you kick cancer's butt.

Our stories aren't finished yet. The doctors told us that only one in three kids who have the kind of cancer I had would survive. I still don't know how the rest of my story will end, but I know that I have a lot of people who are with me. Thank you for walking along side of all of us survivors here tonight, and for being a part of our stories.

Saskatoon Spring Sprint, June 5 2011:

The speech Kol gave Sunday morning was partly based on the speech he gave Friday night. He did an awesome job on this one as well, and this time I had a better view of him. Here's the text of this speech:

Dad says it's good to start off a speech with a joke, and I figured that since I used to be bald, I could tell a bald joke.

A bald man went to the doctor and asked for something to cure his baldness. The doctor said "try rubbing your head with onions and garlic". The man asked "does that really work?" The doctor said "no, but no-one will come close enough to you to notice that you are bald."

Blame my dad for that. Sorry.

I'm proud to be a part of the Spring Sprint today, and to be able to share my story with you. Mom says it's good for people to share their stories because we can all learn from each other, and the stories can give us hope and encouragement.

My story started just over a year ago. I had really, really bad headaches. Mom and dad took me to the hospital, and on the day before the Spring Sprint last year, the doctors found a large tumour in my brain. I had surgery the very next morning to remove it, the same time as many of you were “sprinting”. I was attached to tubes and I.V.s and monitors for what felt like a long time after that. A week later, we found out the tumour was cancerous.

When I found out I had a brain tumour, I was sad because I thought I might not make it through. Then I got mad because I didn't want to die. I wanted to live a long and happy life. When my radiation and chemo treatments were done, I was glad because there was a chance my tumour would be gone and I could just be a kid again.

I want to share some things that I've learned from having a brain tumour.

• I don't like needles.
• Bald is beautiful. At least, that's what my grandpa tells me.
• Toques are very nice when you don't have any hair.
• When you have an MRI scan, you get to watch movies so it's not so BORING.
• There are lots of other people who have brain tumours too, and it's good to get to hear their stories. Mom and dad say the brain tumour support group here has been really good for that.
• It's good to celebrate things, like having your last radiation treatment, or your last chemo treatment, or a birthday that you weren't sure you would have.
• I really don't like needles!
• The parking lot at the hospital and the cancer clinic is expensive. At least, that's what mom and dad say.
• The things you eat can help you get well.
• It can be hard to change what you eat.
• I miss Kraft Dinner.
• I don't like most of the food from the hospital cafeteria.
• Sisters can be annoying, but they are really good to have around when you're sick.
• I really, really don't like needles!!
• It's really good to have family and friends to help you.

My story isn't finished yet. The doctors told my mom and dad that only one in three kids who have the kind of tumour I had would survive. I still don't know how the rest of my story will end, but I know that I have a lot of people who are supporting me.

THANK YOU for being a part of the Spring Sprint, for being a part of my story, and for being a part of the stories of everyone here who has been affected by a brain tumour.

I still feel like we haven't quite recovered from this weekend, but it was an incredible experience. We were so honoured to be a part of these events, and we hope to be part of them again next year. Hopefully they won't end up on the same weekend again. :-)