“Bella found her voice halfway through treatment and now she doesn’t stop. I used to tell her, ‘You gotta’ use your big bellow voice if someone hurts you Bella.’ Now she no longer puts up with it.” – Stephanie Aguilar
What started as tummy troubles and bellyaches eventually grew into the Aguilar family’s worst nightmare. Isabella had cancer. A massive tumour, growing inside her belly.
Isabella, or Bella as her loved ones call her, endured 10 months of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. During these surgeries, they removed her appendix and one ovary. The remaining ovary was damaged during treatment, so Bella’s dreams of having her own children one day will likely never come true.
“It has been a long and very, very difficult journey,” says Isabella’s mother Stephanie. “It would have been much, much harder without Kids Cancer Care.”
Isabella has now been cancer-free for three years, but her cancer journey is far from over. In many ways, it is only just beginning for the Aguilar family. Now in grade three, Bella is experiencing learning difficulties with math and reading comprehension – one of the many side effects of some chemotherapy.
Thanks to your support, Isabella and her family found comfort and support in Kids Cancer Care programs early in her cancer journey. Along the way little Bella, who was once bullied at school, found her big bellow voice. Now, nothing can stop her. Not cancer. Not bullies. Not even the Monster Math.
“Bella found her voice halfway through treatment and now she doesn’t stop,” her mother laughs. “I used to tell her, ‘You gotta’ use your big bellow voice if someone hurts you Bella.’ Now she no longer puts up with it.”
You are a big part of Bella’s newfound strength and enormous promise. With your support, Bella is tackling her math and reading difficulties with the help of a one-to-one tutor through our Education Support Program.
A cancer scientist by day, Rosy Dabas tutors Bella in the evenings. Rosy realizes that Bella doesn’t enjoy learning through books, so she uses play to make learning fun and dynamic for her student. They play counting games and skipping games, vocabulary games, colouring games and clapping games. Sometimes they play Captain and Soldier, where the soldier (Isabella) must follow the captain’s (Rosy’s) instructions to beat the monster (math problems).
It works. Bella loves the games and her mother and her grade-three teacher are seeing significant progress. “She was reading below grade level,” Stephanie says. “Now she is reading on the lower end, but at grade level.”
As a scientist, Rosy understands neurological toxicity and its affect on learning. Still, she remains hopeful for Bella. “I’ve seen big improvements in her reading and confidence,” says Rosy. “Bella used to give up right away when she didn’t understand something. Now she sticks with it longer. I repeat things multiple times and we go really slowly. We don’t move forward until it’s clear she gets it.”
It’s clear that Rosy is far more than a tutor to Bella. She is a friend and mentor and passionate advocate. Having lost two cousins to cancer, Rosy is determined to understand the disease, but research alone isn’t enough. Rosy volunteers with Kids Cancer Care because it brings deeper meaning and compassion to her cancer research.
“Volunteering gives me a chance to be more human,” Rosy says. “Bella often tells me that she wants to be me when she grows and it is an indescribable feeling. Knowing that my contribution can have such an impact and can brighten her life, fills me with satisfaction. It is a blessing to be a positive role model to Bella.”
Bella is clearly beginning to emulate her role model. She is more confident and willing to try new reading and math problems. She also perseveres longer with challenging problems. Sometimes, Bella even gets to be teacher and Rosy becomes the student.
“Bella teaches me one Spanish word after each session,” says Rosy. “That’s our deal. We close the session with a hug and a Dab. Google it if you don’t already know what a Dab is. We are a great team.”
With your support, Isabella will continue to grow and flourish. One day, like her mentor, she will do great things with her gifts and potential. Rosy is absolutely certain of that: “Isabella is going to do something good with her life – that’s for sure.”
Thank you for giving Isabella a chance to fulfill her potential.