Help Grayson Kick Cancer’s Ass!

So let’s start by saying this is extremely difficult to write. I want to introduce my dear friends, the Giffen Family. If you live in Stittsville, you may know them, or know of them, or know of their tireless efforts to make this community great. Besides being a dynamic duo as a husband and wife realtor team, Chelsea is an active member of the Stittsville Village Association and is constantly organizing events for the community to enjoy (Parade of Lights, Art in the Park, Canada Day at Sacred Heart - just to name a few). In addition to being a busy realtor, Bryan also protects our community as a Stittsville Firefighter. They have 3 beautiful children, Grayson (13), Claire (11) and Audrey (7), who are active in school, hockey, dance and acrobatics.

They are also terrible at asking for help, so here’s the difficult part.

13 year old Grayson was enjoying his summer and was breathing louder than usual. He wasn’t in distress or short of breath, just… Loud. Out of an abundance of caution, Chelsea and Grayson went to his family doctor and a simple xray revealed something no one could have anticipated, Grayson had a large mass in his chest, compressing his trachea down to just 3 mm. They were immediately admitted to PICU at cheo for testing and airway management.

A few days later, the official cancer diagnosis came: t-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (non-Hodgkin). The Giffens were devastated but they immediately shifted into business mode, figuring out how they could adapt and overcome.

Grayson is currently at CHEO for aggressive chemotherapy. He has taken his diagnosis in stride, and is his usual chipper self, battling with resilience and strength beyond his years.

It will be a long and very difficult road. Grayson will undergo about 9+ months of aggressive chemotherapy followed by 2.5 years of further treatment. Chelsea will need to be off work during treatment. She’s doing her best to quickly get up to speed on Grayson’s disease and her new care responsibilities while ensuring a positive and fun(ish) environment, just “tryin’ and cryin’.” As you can imagine, Grayson’s room is a popular one with the staff.

Bryan is holding things down at home, managing the logistics of this new reality, caring for Claire and Audrey, and making sure that everything else is handled. His strength and determination is holding the whole family together.

CHEO’s team is the best of the best and we have no doubt that thanks to their commitment, dedication, and expertise, Grayson will emerge victorious. Unfortunately, it will come at a substantial financial cost. The Giffens are deeply grateful to and humbled by the incredible people in their circle. All proceeds will go directly to Grayson’s family to help alleviate the medical expenses and other daily expenses the family requires during the fight for Grayson’s life.

This family has always been there for Stittsville. Please help us return all the love and support they have given this community. Let’s crush their fundraising goal and allow Chelsea to focus on being the fierce Mama Bear that she is.