“She was naturally strong, determined and thoughtful of others.” – Toni

Toni sometimes finds herself slipping into her daughter Keira’s selfless expressions of support. Lately, she’s been almost instinctually saying, “Oh thank you,” to people in the same appreciative tone Keira once did. Even if accidental, the act keeps Keira’s memory fresh in her mind, that joyous go-getter attitude at the forefront of her thoughts. That’s how her family always remembers Keira, dating back to when her childhood cancer fight first began.

Everything was normal until one week when they were driving to a ringette game, a Canadian variation of hockey typically played by young girls. Keira unusually had a headache, which sparked concern for her parents, Toni and Gary. After stopping for something to drink, Keira perked up, ready to play once again. Her performance on the ice that day proved a brief respite.

“She scored three goals, which was a lot, and she was her typical feisty self on the ice,” said Toni. “We came home and she was fine. We went to bed and then in the middle of the night she woke up literally screaming and we ended up taking her to the ER.”

They took her twice more in the span of eight days. The evening before her third appointment, Toni’s family came over for dinner. She consulted her brother, a doctor, about Keira’s problem. He set up an appointment with the on-call neurologist at the hospital the next day.

“He actually said, ‘We need to rule out something like a tumor,’ but I was not at all concerned,” said Toni. “I was concerned about Keira obviously, but not about the tumor; nobody thinks that is possible.”

At that appointment, the CT scan revealed that Keira had a high-grade brainstem glioma. Unfortunately, her radiation treatments were delayed to accommodate her post-surgery swelling improving. Keira was able to spend that first Christmas at home, but by January she was feeling quite nauseous. Her doctors bumped up the treatment date.

Despite the laborious daily treatment schedule and -40 degree Celsius weather blowing through Winnipeg, Keira started to improve a bit. By mid-February she finished treatment, but her family remained cautious about recovery knowing her surgery only removed 1/3 of the tumor.

“Our family was feeling happy that she’s doing better, but we were not deluding ourselves, we didn’t think that she was better,” said Toni. “We knew that radiation and chemotherapy may shrink or halt the tumor, but when and if it relapses, it’ll come back even faster. So we were just waiting.”

While they waited for further treatment options like a clinical trial, they were referred to an organization that granted Keira any wish she wanted. True to form, she couldn’t just choose something for herself and opted for Disneyworld.

“She knew she got to make the decision and she wanted to do something she knew her siblings would enjoy,” said Toni. “It was selfless, because we knew she was not about to go on a bunch of rides…but she knew they would enjoy it.”

Her siblings Joshua, 16, and Nyja, 14, faced their own issues with Keira’s disease. Both were close with Keira, but Joshua retreated inward and focused on school while Nyja wanted to dive headfirst into spending as much time with her baby sister as possible.

“I think there’s a special challenge that Joshua and Nyja go through,” said Toni. “I’m trying to start being more cognizant of their feelings and needs. I think siblings are a part of this equation that needs even more attention.”

Keira needed the support of her siblings too, as her second surgery approached in May 2017. She was able to return home from the hospital a few days later, but the cancer still wasn’t cured. Their last hope lay in a clinical trial Keira applied for in Toronto. When her family found out she didn’t qualify, they knew Keira wouldn’t get better. She passed away soon after at age 11.

As their family continues to come to grips with Keira’s absence, they remain in awe of the way she carried herself throughout the fight. Even at her weakest health, she still thanked anyone who came to see her for taking the time.

“She was naturally strong, determined and thoughtful of others,” said Toni.

They’ve turned her legacy into something that will last too, starting a Foundation called Keira’s Krusade that makes pillows for people with inspirational sayings. They even honored Keira’s love of sports with a ringette tournament. All the funds help nearby families whose children have been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Keira’s family also found comfort in the familiar story of Alex Scott and her Foundation. She saw many similarities to her own daughter.

“That’s the amazing ability of people, especially young children, to look beyond themselves,” said Toni. “To do something like this for others in their most challenging circumstances. I find that incredible.”