The Guardian

Trina Murphy is calling on the kindness of Islanders to help bring some cheer to a sick seven-year-old boy.

Murphy, a native Islander who now lives in Ottawa, has been touched by the plight of Shane Bernier — a young boy battling leukemia.

Murphy learned of the boy’s troubling physical health and his wish to be inundated with birthday greetings on KISS FM, a radio station in the capital city.

Shane, who lives in Lancaster, Ont., with his mother and his younger brother, Jacob, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age five. After one month into treatment, the boy was in early remission, meaning there were no cancer cells in his blood.

Shane’s family was buoyed by the promising news.

On July 6, 2006, the news turned bad. Shane relapsed after completing 108 of the 130 weeks of planned treatment. The boy’s family and his doctors were shocked by the sudden setback.

Shane may need to undergo a bone marrow transplant down the road, but thankfully his brother Jacob is a match. Presently, there is no sign of cancer in Shane’s system since relapsing.

The blue-eyed youngster who has parted company with his blond locks has been in and out of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa over the past couple of years. He has been kept in isolation at the hospital for two weeks and will be effectively cut off from the outside world for an undetermined period.

He is hopeful, though, to have plenty of contact with friends, family and total strangers in the form of birthday cards. He wants the cards to cascade into his room, mounting into a massive pile.

KISS FM has been urging listeners to help bring a smile to Shane, who turns eight on May 30, by sending birthday cards.


Murphy decided to pick up the boy’s card cause as well.

She has been firing off e-mails to friends and family members coaxing them to join in the card campaign.

She then decided to get in touch with The Guardian in hopes of getting Shane’s story published to rally perhaps thousands of Islanders to head out to a card store.

Shane has received close to 300 birthday cards with the big day still four months away.

He has set his sight on a mere million, said his mom, Natalie Bernier.

Birthday cards can be sent to: Shane c/o KISS FM, 2001 Thurston Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1G6C9.

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=7243&sc=98