Owen was a strong, energetic and confident baby. From day one he ruled the roost! When Owen got his first bike, he wouldn’t wait for us to install the training wheels, he just got on that bike and took off, smashing right into a street light. If you knew him, you would know there was no need for brakes in Owen’s life; his spirit always screamed “full throttle!”
We will never forget being in the Emergency Department at SickKids on January 19th, 2014 and being told that Owen had leukemia. We looked at him, lying in the hospital bed, looking so weak and pale, and thought, “how will he get through this?” In our moment of panic, we forgot that Owen was the most determined, strong and self-willed child that most of us would ever meet.
We always knew Owen was fighting an uphill battle. He relapsed four times and his leukemia grew more complex as time went on. Throughout this battle the care he received at SickKids was incredible. The attention we received from the doctors, nurses, support staff and volunteers were critical to helping our family through such a trying time; they became our good friends. They were respectful, honest and open to debate when we were looking at options, including non-traditional treatments, for dealing with Owen’s high-risk disease. Sometimes they were just there, at the right moment, to offer a shoulder to lean on.
Owen passed away on September 12th, 2018 at 14 years old. We miss him terribly. Although each day has had its challenges, we honour his memory by continuing to live as Owen did, with a brave, resilient and positive spirit.
We will always be grateful for the support our family received from SickKids. In order to honour Owen, we are taking on the challenge of raising $1 million for the hospital in support of leukemia research and to help build a new hospital.
We want to support research because Owen was at the cutting edge of leukemia treatment; he was one of the first recipients at SickKids to receive CAR-T therapy. Every time Owen was asked to participate in hospital research studies, he said yes. He understood and appreciated that the research was important, not just for him, but for other children too. We hope to keep that spirit alive through Owen’s Fund.
There is no question that SickKids is a leader in research and patient care, but the building needs to move into the 21st century. When Owen arrived in the hospital for his bone marrow transplant, he found himself in an undersized room with an outdated air filtration system; he spent over a month there, in that room. He had no access to in-room washrooms, and there wasn’t space for us to comfortably support him at his bedside. We have described Owen as brave, and he was, but even the bravest child still needs their parents to take care of them when sick.
It’s time this old building catches up with the world class treatment that the children receive at SickKids.
In the prime of his childhood, Owen was challenged to show the world his strength, bravery and courage. He did it with the most amazing amount of grace. He was an inspiration to so many people, those fighting for their lives, as well as those of us who needed to be reminded that people are kind, life is good and so very precious.
In the spirit of Owen, please join us as we set out to reach our goal and help other children fighting unimaginable battles.
Thank you for your support,
Lesly, Peter and Josh Weinstein