He's only 10 years old but he has come through a two-year battle with cancer on the winning side. So when Gabriel Reaume received an invitation from the kids at Weldon School in Bienfait to join them for their Mini Relay for Life to tell his story, he was quick to accept.
On May 30, the Weldon relay co-ordinators also asked him to lead 14 other cancer survivors on their "victory" lap around the school's gymnasium floor, which he did willingly. He was joined by his mother Allana on the third circuit as all other cancer survivors were joined by their family and caregivers for a miniature marathon while Weldon students provided a wide range of musical talent on stage to boost them along. That was followed by the lighting of luminaries as a sign of continued hope.
Pat Steinke, who has been on the leading edge of the local fundraising efforts for the Relay for Life program for over seven years, announced that the school's efforts had landed $5,621 for the Canadian Cancer Society and counting.
The kindergarten to Grade 8 school took on the challenge of hosting this year's Mini Relay for Life and Roberta Yergens of Regina, the Canadian Cancer Society's southern representative, noted that the Estevan and area chapter was the only one in the province still hosting mini relays thanks to the enthusiasm of local schools. Spruce Ridge in Estevan has been tagged as the host school next spring.
Gabriel, a student at St. Andrew's School in the Queen City, said he contracted lung cancer, mesothelioma lung cancer to be exact, the kind you usually get through exposure to asbestos, but no one in his family or school could identify where he might have actually been exposed to any significant amount of asbestos as a baby or toddler. But there was no denying the fact he had it.
After six operations, a removal of part of one lung and five ribs and several rounds of chemotherapy, Gabriel has been declared cancer free for the past few months. He still undergoes monthly checks. His last chemotherapy dose was nine months ago, and he doesn't miss the nausea.
"I didn't lose my hair," he boasted proudly as he explained his battle to the media prior to the program.
Most of the surgeries took place in Edmonton and follow-up treatments in Regina.
Gabriel has been named the ambassador for the Relay for Life in Regina and, he said, "I guess the kids here heard about that and they invited me here."
"He's pretty good about speaking up about his fight, so this was a good thing for him to do," said his mother Allana.
Gabriel said he has an older sister, 15-year-old Emily at home, who he says, "is much smarter than I am," and a younger brother (7) Adrian along with his dad, "Woody" Reaume who hosts programs on Jack FM radio. Gabriel's hobbies include video games, basketball, long boarding and a lot of reading for pleasure. And he definitely doesn't have a girlfriend.
A couple of Weldon's senior students, Kelsey Pastachuk and Jasmine McKnight took on the job of organizing this year's mini relay with assistance from their classmates and staff. About 120 students participated in the fundraising efforts and 70 are taking part in the team relay.
"We didn't have any unexpected problems," said Kelsey.
"Keeping track of all the committees and making sure everyone was on track was about the biggest job," said Jasmine.
"We'll probably stay involved in the Relay for Life for the next few years when we go to the Comp and we'll definitely be there Saturday for the main Relay for Life in Estevan," said Kelsey.
Asked how they got to be the school's co-ordinators for the event, they both laughed and said, "our teachers picked us. We like people, I guess, and they maybe saw that," said Jasmine. "But we seemed to work well together as co-chairs."
Yergens, a relay specialist, while confirming that the Estevan/Bientait effort this year was the only mini relay on the books, said five other Relays for Life will be held in southern Saskatchewan.
"Enthusiasm remains high, even after all these years. Seeing the energy these kids provide in a supportive role is encouraging," Yergens added.
She noted that while corporate sponsorship has slipped a bit over the years, due mainly to the fact that many smaller companies have now been swallowed up by major corporations who prefer to support larger fundraising events in the cities where they have corporate headquarters, it doesn't mean the Relay for Life is being threatened.
"What I like about the events like this mini relay," said Steinke "is that it's important to always remember the survivors, and these kids, rejoicing in their victory and supporting them like this, is pretty wonderful."
"We had food sales in the school and around the town, school activities for raising funds, we kinda became cancer warriors," said Jasmine.
Gabriel perhaps summed it up best, just before he took to the gym floor to accept a rose and lead the survivors in their victory lap.
"Keep calm and fight on."
