Alice was just 10 months old when her parents noticed something wasn’t right—she couldn’t hold her head up straight. They rushed to SickKids Hospital in Toronto, where after three days of tests, doctors confirmed what no family ever wants to hear: Alice had brain cancer.
For the first year, Alice was placed on a watch-and-wait protocol, undergoing regular MRIs to monitor the tumor’s growth. But just before her second birthday, she began treatment—17 months of chemotherapy along with six months on a clinical trial drug. These years were incredibly hard: every week brought new procedures, fears, and difficult days—not only for Alice, but for her siblings watching everything unfold.
Through it all, Alice found joy in stories, swimming, karate, and playtime with her sisters. Her love of Disney princesses grew during treatment, but her mom realized something was missing—there were no books with a princess like Alice, a character who had bravery beads, a port, or who went through chemo. So, she began telling Alice stories of Princess Lily, a princess who was just like her. Alice loved these stories, and soon her mom turned them into real books so that children everywhere could see themselves represented too.
Today, Alice is six years old and excited to be heading into grade 2 surrounded by all of her friends. She is back on watch-and-wait as her tumor continues to grow slowly, but she’s thriving in the life she loves—filled with swimming, karate, laughter, and time with her sisters. And thanks to her, countless other children facing cancer and other serious illnesses now have a story where they can see themselves as brave, magical, and never alone.
To learn more about the Princess Lily book series and the Enchanted Hope Foundation inspired by Alice’s brave jouney, please visit – https://enchantedhopefoundation.org/about-us/