A promise made, a promise kept.
In a column Dec. 14, 2011, I promised a young Cochrane lady that when she was strong enough she would be the one-and-only Sunshine Girl to ever grace the pages of the Cochrane Eagle.
Paige Pickering is strong enough now, and you’ll find her Sunshine Girl picture and her story on page 28.
It’s a remarkable story of courage and the inner strength so many survivors possess, but it’s also more than that.
It’s about the importance of family and their support.
It’s about the importance of community and the amazing support from that source.
Paige Pickering was born with cerebral palsy and then she was diagnosed with cancer.
She survived the removal of a brain tumour and survived the removal of another tumour — a seven-pounder — from her abdomen.
Paige and her parents and two brothers prepared for the worst, and with good reason, there seemed to be no hope.
Medical people told her parents their 18-year-old daughter would likely be a vegetable the rest of her life. They were told she would certainly never walk again.
Two weeks ago she was a proud member of the graduating class at Cochrane High.
Two weeks ago she walked on the stage and received her diploma.
Two weeks ago she wrote a speech for her graduating class and had a friend read it.
She related her story.
She related her challenges and she related her gratitude, and when her friend finished reading Paige’s words there wasn’t dry eye in the crowd of 1,000 and there was an instant standing ovation.
She did four rounds of chemo and overcame a major challenge for any teenage girl — she lost her hair.
That was made easier when her father and two brothers also shaved their heads in support.
Her cancer is in remission now and has been for 15 months and we all can be grateful for that.
Paige tells of her experience when she met Avril Lavigne, which became a day she will never forget.
One month after the very positive experience with Lavigne, she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.
Two days after that another surgery to remove the seven-pound tumour.
She did four rounds of chemo that made her so weak she didn’t even want to get out of bed.
But she fought on.
And there are others who were there for her.
Like Shawn Fraser, who is an ordinary Cochranite who saw a need for the Pickering family and last Christmas worked his butt off getting donations and helping the family in so many ways.
But it’s a story of a teenage girl who simply wouldn’t and didn’t quit.
Where many lesser mortals would have surrendered to the inevitable, Paige dug in her heels and fought on.
She won.
Read her story and read about her ‘bead’ journey.
Read how she measured her journey in beads and you will be astounded at the number.
The next time you hear someone criticizing today’s youth tell them Paige Pickering’s remarkable story.
Tell them about this teenage girl who has this incredible number of beads and how she came to get them.
Tell them about this kid who showed we adults how important it is to believe in yourself and never quit.
Our first and only Sunshine Girl couldn’t be a better choice. This is a Cochrane kid. She’s one of us. This is her home. This is her community.
We are so very lucky.
