Help Leena Fight Cancer

Dear community,

It is with great sadness that we inform you that one of the toddlers from the Toddler 2 room, Leena Cardozo, has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with Leena and her family during this challenging time. Throughout Leena’s time at Newstead Academy, she brought so much joy and happiness to her teachers and anyone she crossed paths with. At Newstead, we want to ensure we support the family in any way we can. With that in mind, we would like to announce that the centre will be hosting a fundraiser on behalf of the family.

We know that many of our staff and families are willing to offer support, and this fundraiser will give us all an opportunity to come together as a community and help this family during this difficult time.

If you would like to donate, we have created a Formstack link where you can submit your donation. Additionally, families will be able to leave a message for the family through the link and all messages will be passed on to the family.

We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone, and we want to thank you in advance for any contribution you may make. Please know that all funds raised will go directly to the Cardozo family to assist them with any expenses that will arise during this time.

We will continue to keep you updated with any additional information and the fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and care for our community.

Click Here to Donate

An Update from the Cardozos

On April 3rd we took Leena into Sick Kids ER and within 24 hours she was diagnosed with a form of children’s cancer called Neuroblastoma. We were told she is considered a high-risk patient and she was admitted to the hospital immediately. Things moved very quickly and on April 5th Leena began her first round of chemotherapy which lasted 5 days. Leena will have a long road of treatment ahead which we are currently taking one day at a time.

We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love & support everyone has shown us. We are so incredibly thankful for the kindness & generosity that has been shown to Leena & our family. The donations & messages we have received are above and beyond anything we could have imagined. We are truly speechless and can not thank you all enough.

We are currently preparing for Leena’s second round of chemotherapy starting May 1st. Leena remains in good spirits and is showing us the meaning of true resilience & strength. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts & Leena blows her famous kisses to all of you. ❤️

May Update from the Cardozos

Leena has successfully completed her second round of chemotherapy. She’s been in good spirits since this round ended and has enjoyed getting to spend some time at home. She’s been dancing to her favourite songs (and videos sent by her favourite teachers - Ms. Roshnee, Ms. Crystal & Ms. Maryam), blowing bubbles outside, making pancakes every morning, eating her favourite snacks and getting (distanced) visits from all her favourite family & friends.

Before her second round of chemo started, Leenas dad and her two cousins, Kaden & Adam, had a special day to shave their heads to support Leena. It was incredibly touching and we are so honoured that her cousins showed such a selfless act of love for their baby cousin. ❤️

While at Sick Kids hospital during this course of chemotherapy we were finally able to collect Leenas bravery beads. Bravery beads are not given as a reward but they are earned honouring a child’s bravery for going through a different procedure or event. There are over 120 different kinds of beads to represent procedures like blood transfusions, surgery, course of chemotherapy, injections, NG tube insertion, dressing changes, dressing changes, stem cell harvest, scans, tests, procedures, bloodwork.. the list goes on. Leena has over 100 beads strung together in only one month since her diagnosis. It’s incredible what she has been through in such a short time and continues to have a smile on her face.

Next steps for Leena will start with a stem cell collection/harvest that will be used later down the road during another phase of her treatment plan. This will require us to spend a couple of days at Sick Kids during the collection procedure. We will also be preparing for round 3 of chemotherapy starting May 25. This round of chemotherapy has a different combination of medications so Leena will be admitted as an inpatient so they can keep a close eye on her for side effects.

We continue to remain in awe of our beautiful brave girl and how she continues to tackle every single day with all her might.

We thank you all for the continued love, prayers, messages, calls, donations, meal drop offs, visits, gifts for Leena, and endless support. Everyone who has contributed will be thanked personally, but until then we would like to express our immense gratitude to you all. We are so thankful to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive community during this time. ❤️

Help Leena Fight Cancer

An Update from the Cardozos

May Update from the Cardozos

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