James was seven when cancer first touched his life. His dad had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a diagnosis that would turn James’s childhood into something few could understand.
Over the next two years, he watched his dad struggle through intensive treatments that had both a physical and mental toll. “It was scary,” James remembers. “And I didn’t fully understand what was happening.”
At just ten years old, James lost his dad.
As his mum battled her cancer, James took on the added responsibility of helping care for his younger brother.
Through all of this, James did his best to keep up with school, navigate grief, and hold on to some sense of normal childhood. At the time, he thought the hardest part was missing time with friends. “But now, looking back, the hardest part is the regret… conversations I never had with my dad, memories I’ll never get to make.”
It was during this time that his mum introduced him to Canteen. And that changed everything.
“Canteen gave me something I didn’t have anywhere else. A group of people who didn’t separate me for being different. They gave me space to grow, to lead, and to learn who I was.”
“I’m doing it to honour my dad’s legacy. To celebrate my mum’s survival. And to stand with every young person who’s been through what I have. I want people to know Canteen really can help you when you’re at your lowest. And you’re not alone.”
