Sometimes the world’s biggest cheerleaders could actually use the most rallying.
Before hospitals, scans, and treatment plans, Mavrik was simply a little boy who loved to be on the move.
He started walking at just nine months old and almost immediately had a hockey stick in his hand. A huge hockey fan, Mavrik loves playing floor hockey and cheering for his favourite teams with his family. Rarely sitting still for long, he has always been an active, curious little guy, determined to keep up with whatever was happening around him.
But just after his second birthday, what seemed like a routine daycare cold suddenly changed everything.
The congestion passed, but the fevers lingered. An emergency room visit suggested a stubborn infection, but three days later, when Mavrik became increasingly lethargic, his family noticed something new – a small mass in his abdomen.
Within days the mass had doubled in size.
Back to the emergency room they went. An ultrasound and CT scan revealed a tumour doctors believed was almost certainly cancerous. The next morning, Mavrik and his family boarded the first of what would become many medical flights from Prince George to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
There, the diagnosis was confirmed: stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma.
The tumour measured approximately 12 cm by 12 cm by 11 cm, and had grown rapidly in the weeks leading up to his diagnosis.
Treatment began immediately.
Mavrik endured five rounds of chemotherapy (each followed by weeks of recovery), and 2 bone marrow transplants/stem cell high dose chemotherapy rounds. Twelve rounds of radiation followed. Then came immunotherapy — six rounds in total, five requiring inpatient stays.
In the last sixteen months of his young life, Mavrik and his family have spent more than 250 nights at BC Children’s Hospital.
Treatment has also left lasting side effects. Chemotherapy affected Mavrik’s hearing, and he now wears hearing aids while receiving additional therapies.
One of the hardest parts of this journey hasn’t been the medical complexity — it’s been the distance.
Vancouver is eight and a half hours from their home in Prince George.
Eight and a half hours from family, friends, and the community that means so much to them. Each time they were able to return home for a short break, it became painful to leave again.
Support from their community has made an immeasurable difference.
Family and friends stepped in to care for their dog and create special moments for the children at home. Their community lifted them up in ways they will never forget. The Prince George Cougars hockey community has been especially meaningful, reminding Mavrik that as much as he looks up to them, he is their hero.
Ronald McDonald House became far more than a place to stay. For sixteen months, it was a safe and welcoming home. Friendships formed there with staff and other families walking similar paths will last a lifetime.
Childhood Cancer Canada has also helped provide access to additional resources, easing some of the practical burdens during an already overwhelming time.
When asked what advice they would give other families walking this road, their answer is clear:
“Reach out and find this community as soon as you can. No matter what happens, we are there for each other on this road that most people will never fully understand.”
After 16 months of treatment, the day finally came when Mavrik and his family were preparing to head home to Prince George.
Bags were packed. Goodbyes were being said. After sixteen long months, they were just one hour away from leaving the hospital.
Then everything changed.
New information came in. More tests were ordered.
Mavrik has relapsed.
In a single moment, the hope of going home was replaced with the reality that their journey is not over.
Once again, this hockey-loving, always-moving little boy is facing the fight of his young life.
And now, the boy who cheers so loudly for others could use a rally of his own.