FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[TORONTO, July 26, 2024]
When Shawn Desman met a young fan with cancer, he quickly learned that his music does more than win awards. It was a source of solace for Joshua, who was seven years at the time, while he was undergoing chemotherapy for seven inoperable tumours.
“I met Joshua through a radio station, and it was the start of a two-year friendship that I will always cherish,” says Desman, a Juno award-winning artist. “He taught me so much about courage and having a love for life.”
Joshua passed away in 2008 but inspires Desman to this day as a new Ambassador for Childhood Cancer Canada. Angie Ramalho, Executive Director of Childhood Cancer Canada, the national charity of its kind to provide direct support to families and fund critical research, says Shawn Desman is more than an artist.
“He is an inspirational mentor to children with cancer,” she says. “Shawn shows the kids that there is life and joy beyond their illness and motivates them to live their dreams despite their diagnosis.”
“Shawn’s message is one of hope and healing in community, no matter the challenges,” says Ramalho. “Childhood Cancer Canada is here to support kids so they can live their dreams beyond cancer. Shawn is the perfect ambassador to help us make that happen.”
See the video of Blue Jays Day below.
