SYDNEY, N.S. — A Cape Breton couple who recently lost their 12-year-old daughter to cancer wants to share her story of inspiration with others.
Their wish came true this week when the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation unveiled its annual Because You Care Gift Catalogue which features a beautiful front cover photograph of Molly Wadden. The edition is dedicated to the memory of the middle child of Jeff and Nadine Wadden of Victoria Mines. She succumbed to Ewing sarcoma on July 7, three years after she was diagnosed with the bone cancer.
On Thursday, her father attended the kick-off of the foundation’s latest catalogue campaign. He said his daughter would be pleased that her story will help others, patients and their families, who are going through similar tough times.
“Molly was just a fun, magnetic, witty, empathetic and very generous kid,” said Wadden, who wore a gold-coloured T-shirt emblazoned with Molly’s Mission on the front.
“She really would be incredibly proud if she was here today. She would have loved being here and talking about this catalogue and the differences that the gifts in it can make for people. All she really wanted to do was to make a difference. Her life was short but she wanted to make it mean something. And she’s doing that now.”
A brave fight
Wadden said his daughter faced her battle with remarkable courage, strength and positivity. He said her incredibly strong fortitude has inspired the heartbroken family that also includes Molly’s older sister Larissa, younger brother Chase and Roxy the dog.
“Molly left me with the tools, she left me with everything I need and this is now my job and my family’s job,” stated Wadden.
“During Molly’s fight, we were personally impacted and helped with everything from travel to hotels to toys and books and crafts. It made all the difference. We were even given a superhero quilt by Caleb’s Courage which we will always cherish. Molly may be gone, but she will always live on symbolically through the quilt.”
The Wonder Woman-themed comforter given to Molly was the first one donated through the Caleb’s Courage program to children with critical illnesses. Caleb MacArthur, who loved superhero costumes, was just shy of his fourth birthday when he passed away after a battle with cancer in 2015.
Wadden said his daughter was saddened by the suffering of others.
“She was so brave, she even raised money for charity while she was sick,” he said, adding that she raised more than $35,000 for causes close to her heart.
“She once said, and these are her actual words: ‘I know what it's like to be in this position. This is here and it’s happening. There are kids going through it. You never really know until it happens.'”
Love and compassion
Wadden went on share some of his late daughter’s feelings.
“She told us that she didn’t want other children to have to go through what she went through and, of course we know we can’t do that. But what we can do is to help make their fight and battle stronger, make it better, give them tools, give them what they need.
“There is more to health care than the medicine, the needles, the chemotherapies – health care is also mental health care and that is where these gifts of care are going.
“This catalogue is the very definition of what Molly would have wanted. There is not a doubt in my mind that this catalogue, from front to back, is filled with nothing but caring and love from start to finish. It’s filled with love and compassion.”
Helping hand
Thursday’s catalogue unveiling was presented by Colbourne Auto and was held at Colbourne Ford on Grand Lake Road, where company general manager Brad Jacobs was on hand to present the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation with a cheque for $20,000.
Last year, the Cape Breton-based auto group committed $100,000 to the Because You Care Catalogue over a five-year period. Colbourne Auto has also committed to matching the first $10,000 in gifts made to the 2022-2023 catalogue.
The eight-page edition, which includes a plethora of gift suggestions and a story chronicling Molly’s fight, will be distributed within the Cape Breton Post on Saturday and will also be available at local businesses and at the CBRHF office. Gifts can also be made online by visiting the foundation’s website.
Since its launch in 2018, the foundation’s catalogue has helped raise almost $200,000.
David Jala is a multimedia journalist with the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on Twitter @CBPost_David.
