Proceeds from the sale of a Kamsack district greenhouse cookbook have been donated to Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon in the name of a young Canora cancer patient.
On Friday a cheque of $400 was presented by Karen Pfeifer of Grandma B’s Greenhouse at Runnymede to Sophia Hvidston of Canora. The cheque represents a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of Let’s Eat, a cookbook of 262 pages of recipes that Pfeifer has developed and researched.
This is the third time that Pfeifer has made a donation from the sale of a cookbook. Several years ago, she printed Grandma B’s Family and Friends, a cookbook containing family recipes, and the proceeds went towards children’s comfort at the cancer clinic in Saskatoon. Two years ago Grandma B’s Favourites and More, a cookbook containing both, family recipes and researched recipes, was printed and proceeds were presented to the Kamsack Cancer Self Help group.
The books are sold primarily to customers of the greenhouse, Pfeifer said.
The daughter of Shanna (nee Dubasoff) and Barry Hvidston of Canora, and granddaughter of Betty Dubasoff of Kamsack and the late Peter Dubasoff, Sophia has spent a lot of time at Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon.
“Because Ronald McDonald House is an essential service for families like Sophia’s, we decided to donate the proceeds of the third cookbook in her honour,” Pfeifer said.
Sophia, who is now four years of age, has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, her mother said, adding that she has been receiving treatments since she had been diagnosed about a year ago.
Her last treatment will be on June 12, 2017 and the likelihood that the cancer returns is very remote, she said.
“Sophia is a strong girl who is receiving great support from her family,” Pfeifer said. “Going through this has matured her so much.”
Thanking Pfeifer for the donation, Shanna said that the money is going to a great cause.
“Ronald McDonald House is indispensable to families,” she said.
Asked what she would like the money to be spent on at Ronald McDonald House, Sophia said “toys.”
A McDonalds’ promotional brochure, which contains a photograph of Sophia with her older sister Emilie, explains that Sophia had been detected with the leukemia when she was three years old.
“It has been a long and tough journey,” it says, quoting her parents. “We have hit the milestone of being able to administer chemo at home with monthly trips to Saskatoon.
“Through our journey we have had the pleasure of staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon,” it said. “The staff and volunteers are nothing short of amazing. The atmosphere is inviting, kid-friendly and comfortable. There is always coffee on and the cookies are fresh. Families are at the house for the same reasons: their children.
“The Ronald McDonald House is truly a house that love built.”
About 50 of the 200 copies of Let’s Eat are still available, as are some copies of the second cookbook, which has had a second printing. Persons interested may obtain copies at Grandma B’s Greenhouse
