Beautiful Sunflowers everywhere

The sunflower that Shania loved so much, seems to be everywhere I go. I have been out and about on the bike called "True North" that I am borrowing for the "Ride for Karen". Every time I see a batch of sunflowers it gives me a boost in my legs to do this fundraiser challenge of 160KM. I rode out to my dads on Sunday and didn't even realize that the route that I was going went right passed the Cemetery/Funeral home on Elgin Mills where we had Shania's celebration of life. It was like Shania gave me a big push to make it out to my dad's. Shania and I decided to do this great fundraiser just before we found out that the cancer had spread to her lungs. She got out her home made clip board at the hospital and wrote me up a training schedule. She is still my trainer and motivator for this ride, she is in my heart and on my mind every time I go out for a ride. I have only been able to get out five times since we found out that Shania had the cancer in her lungs and past away two weeks later. But hopefully I can get out a bit more before the big day. If anyone is interested in sponsoring Shania and I for this incredible cause. Go to www.rideforkaren.com and look us up, or E-mail me at Shania.com@rogers.com all the money raised goes to sending cancer kids to camp. We also have been trying to get the five hundred bracelets all done for this ride. Thank you to everyone that is helping us make all of these bracelets, I know we wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Shania's second annual Sunflower of Hope Fun Fair will be on May 3RD 2008 this year coming up. Our good friend Anji Sharp said that she is looking forward to doing it again this year. We want to add another building to it this year. And hopefully we will be able to get the fair us wheel that Shania wanted for this year. School starts next week and this is going to be another big milestone that will be tough to do without Shania with us. Shannon isn't looking forward to it without her big sister with her. It's going to be hard on all of us. Shania loved school so much, she loved everything about Reesor Park School/Family/Community, her friends,teachers, the challenges of learning new things, everything.
I will always believe in Shania I will I will !!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With love that is true,
Shayne,Karen,Shannon&Whiskey

The best sister ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shannon had her sixth birthday on Friday and what a fun day it was. Shannon woke up early and was floating on a cloud. She had an appointment to get her ears pierced with her best friend Megan. Shannon asked us a while ago if she could get her ears pierced like Shania. Shania had her ears done when she turned six also. I remember Shania asking to get hers pierced when she was five and we said that she could when she turned six, hoping that she would forget about it. She didn't forget and greatly anticipated that big day. Shannon had a Barbie cake, the one with the doll and the cake is the dress. A bunch of her friends came over to play birthday games and go swimming. A big thank you to Melissa Hawkins for donating her life guarding fee to Shania's Sunflower of Hope. We were so happy to see Shannon having so much fun with her friends on her special day. Yesterday was a different story. It really hit us hard that we missed Shania on Shannons special day. We all were thinking about how much fun she would of had setting up all the games,playing in the pool and helping shannons day be a beautiful one. Shannon was very upset and said that Shania was "the best sister ever" and that she missed her so much. We all missed her, we think about her all of the time.

We added in Shania's beautiful DVD tribute from the funeral onto the home page yesterday, thanks to Edward our website specialist. So if you want to view it go to Shania's home page, just click on the small boxed in picture of her. This was very heart breaking for us to watch. We hadn't watched it since Shania's funeral. At the part near the end of her tribute it shows Shania playing the xylophone, this peace Shania wrote by her self along with the song that she wrote and sings for her mother, it is very touching to see Shania do these two beautiful peaces. The back ground music through out this DVD is a song called " You lift me up" by Josh Grobin. Shania loved this song the first time she heard Micheal Burgess sing it at a NHL Old timers game. Karen got it burned onto a CD and Shania would always ask to listen to it every time we were in our van.

Shannon asked after we watched the DVD if she could watch a movie that Shania and her had made just before Shania relapsed. I video taped their movie which was about their barbies fighting against the evil Super Seema. It is very funny and we had a great laugh with misty eyes at the same time. Shania had such an incredible creative ability to do these kinds of things. It was the sad day after the happy one. Karen and I would like to thank Syd Birrell for stopping by last night, your timing was perfect, we needed someone to talk to, who can empathize with what we were feeling. Syd knows all to well what it's like to lose a child to this terrible disease. He lost his incredible son James who created the James Fund For Neuroblastoma research at Sick Children's Hospital. Thanks again Syd for being there for us.

The week before Shania died she picked out the colours for the five hundred bracelets that will be worn by the cyclists of the "Ride For Karen". This being a cycling challenge to raise money to send children with cancer to camp. All in honour of Karen Tobias who past away from breast cancer, she is the mother of Kirk and Chris who have set up this amazing challenge. I was able to match up the beads that she picked out and we have started to fill there huge order of bracelets. I would like to thank Vern Chant a friend of Kirk and Chris for lending me an excellent race bike called True North for this challenge of 160KM. Also thank you Kirk, Chris and family for letting Shania and us be a part of this great cause. Kirk is dedicating his ride in honour of our Shania, as you can guess I am also. She will be in my heart and on my mind all the way in this fundraising challenge.

I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With love that is true,
Shayne,Karen,Shannon&Whiskey.

We miss you Shania

This picture of Shania with her bravery beads, just brings back a flood of pride, sadness, love and hope. We are so proud of Shania and everything that she has accomplished and still is with the legacy that she has left behind. To me she represented everything that is good and right in this world. We are filled with sadness every time we think about Shania still, we miss you Shania with a feeling of a void that cannot be measured or compared. You filled our lives full, with your love that overflowed from you, your cup was always half full, never half empty. Your beautiful smile that could light up a room on the darkest of days. Your grace and compassion for others before yourself was a thing that never ceased to astound me. I can't help but wonder what the rest of your life could have been like if it hadn't have been taken away by this horrible disease called Neuroblastoma. The things that you could have accomplished, the people that would have been positively affected by your kindness, the lovely children you could of had, the students that you would have helped to see life as a fun and exciting adventure just as you did. You have given us the feeling of hope. Hope can take on so many forms and is so vital in the pursuit of a cure for this disease. Your "Shania's sunflower of hope" is like a bright beacon in our hearts that we will not let dim for the sake of the children that suffer in pain that is indescribable. Your dream and hope to help them will not be forgotten. Shania has four hundred and eleven bravery beads. Each bead represents an operation,x-ray,transfusion,blood work, ect... all of the scary procedures that these kids have to endure. She kept track of everyone that she needed, she was proud of this chain of beads because it represented the courage that it takes to try and survive through the pain that these children suffer.

We would like to thank Justine Mohan from http://www.childslife.ca/ for setting up a Shania's Sunflower of Hope donation box and shirt order form on her booth at the Cornell Picnic tomorrow http://www.mycornell.ca/ also a thanks to Gayle for putting together a very touching tribute DVD to our Shania last week.

I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With love that is true,
Shayne,Karen,Shannon&Whiskey.

So proud, so brave.

Shania with her bravery beads. She was so proud of her bravery beads, they grew to be eleven feet ten inches long. She was so brave. June 13 2007.

Cheek to cheek

Shania and Shannon at Sick Children's Hospital showing there love for each other
cheek to cheek. June 03 2007

My buddy old pal

I found a CD that has the classic movie Doctor Zhivago's theme song, it's called Lora's Theme. I'm listening to it right now on repeat. It is such a soothing melody. I woke up a little while ago and just started to think about our Shania right away. It's so hard not to, we miss her so much. All of the great memories that we have of her, but it hurts so much just remembering them right now. I want to watch all of the home videos of our family but we can't do that yet. Hopefully we will soon because we miss her so... Years ago when Shania was younger she came up to me, I can't remember what I was doing at the time, but I guess Shania thought I needed cheering up or she just wanted to kid around, But she put her cheek to mine and said " how are you doing buddy old pal, pal old buddy, old buddy pal, pal old buddy,buddy old pal". And I started to laugh, and do you know when you get one of those laughs when you can't stop laughing, and the more you try to stop laughing, the more it makes you laugh, until your stomach starts to hurt from laughing so hard, well that was one of those ones. So this kind of became our little joke. Anytime one of us needed cheering up or we just wanted to kid around we would put or cheeks together and say how are you doing buddy old pal , pal old buddy, buddy old pal. Well the last night that I had a sleep over with Shania which was the second night before she passed away. She was labouring with her breathing, so she was having to use her stomach muscles more and more to breath, from either the cancer in her lungs or the fluid around her lungs. Anyways Shania asked me if I could rub her tummy, so I said sure and asked if I could snuggle beside her and rub her tummy. Shania thought that this was a good idea and slide over to make room on her little pooh bear covered bed. She put her frail arm around my neck and I put my cheek to her cheek, I said "I love you buddy old pal" and " She replied " I love you too buddy old pal" and the tears started to flow. We just lay there me rubbing her tummy, her with her arm around my neck, cheek to cheek for the longest time. It was one of those special moments that take your breath away. I wish it didn't have to ever end. I miss my sweet little Shania so much, it just hurts so bad and seems to come in waves. I miss my buddy old pal more than words can say. I hope that time will fade the pain, so we can remember all of those "beautiful moments that take your breath away" without the feelings of dis pare.

I would like to thank everyone for all of your support of our family during this very difficult time right now. Thank you for the beautiful cards, flowers and the continued financial support of Shania's cause. Also a big thanks to Nicole Lightfoot and her mom and dad, Becky and Dean for having a bake sale at the corner of there street in Waterdown Ontario. They raised over one hundred dollars for Shania's Sunflower of hope. Last night we went over to the Markham Veterinarian Clinic and Shannon picked the winner for the draw on a beautiful Sunflower picture. They also had a sunflower garden in the window, so when someone made a donation they would post a sunflower on there window. Some one there made pet treats and sold those along with Shania's shirts and jewelry. A percentage of the pet procedures went to Shania's cause also. They extended the Shania week into two weeks and made a grand total of "one thousand eight hundred and sixty three dollars and twenty six cents. If anyone is looking to take there pet to get loving care. This is the place, these people are amazing, thanks again from the bottom of our hearts. Have a great weekend and give a hug to your loved ones, because a hug can mean so much especially if it's cheek to cheek
:)

I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!
I will always believe in Shania I will I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With love that is true,
Shayne,Karen,Shannon&Whiskey.