Guest Column: Leukemia victim appreciates support

I would like to give you all a “big thank-you” for the help and support you have given me and my family since I was diagnosed with leukemia in August last year.

I really appreciate all the work for the dinner, auction and soccer camp. It made me feel good that friends would go to all the work but one thing that really made me feel happy was the support of people that I didn’t even know.

Ever since I was diagnosed, I haven’t been feeling 100 percent every day. Some days it is hard to get up and say that you feel good when you really don’t. The hardest part of being sick is being away from my family, friends and school. Some days I just don’t even feel like a normal kid.

Before I found out I was sick, I looked at sick people differently. Now I don’t. I know that when you are sick, you are just a normal person. I want to be a normal kid again. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me or treat me differently because I am sick.

Since I have been at the Ronald McDonald House in Spokane, Wash., I have been able to do some fun things to get out once in a while. I haven’t had to spend all my time at the hospital or at the Ronald McDonald House. I was able to go to the “Disney on Ice” show with my family and I have been able to attend two Gonzaga men’s basketball games. Gonzaga won both games!

One of the basketball games I went to, I went with my whole family. The other game was just me and Mom. It was nice for my Mom to get a break. She really enjoyed herself at the basketball game. I was also able to attend some of the U.S. Figure Skating that was held in Spokane. The winners of the event are going to Canada next month for the Winter Olympics.

My favorite of all has been to be able to just “hang out” with some of the Gonzaga men’s basketball players. They have been coming to the Ronald McDonald House and we play on the Wii. They are all very nice and it has been fun getting to know them, however, Steven Gray is my favorite. 

I know there is no way for me to thank all of you by name for the support. However, I would like to mention some people who I know worked very hard to get the fundraisers going. I would like to give a whole bunch of thanks to Lori and Bruce Sickler, Helen Cruz, and Deanna and Tony Berget. I can’t express how much we appreciate everything you did for me and my family.

(Giovanni Cano, 11, is the son of Sylvester and Alma Cano of Libby).