A huge community response to an Oct. 6 bake sale had St. Paul Co-op employee Benjamin Sanchez feeling overwhelmed by the support, following his infant daughter’s diagnosis with cancer.
“It’s really – I don’t know what to say. Thank you is not enough,” said an emotional Sanchez, who saw crowds of people come out for a bake sale and raffle on Thursday morning, in support of the Sanchez family.
Faced with bills from staying in Edmonton and with prescriptions for his daughter as high as $480, he and his wife Alma were stressed and not sure how they could pay the bills and stay afloat, while their daughter Jaminah receives treatment for stage IV cancer at the Stollery.
As it turned out, many people who heard Sanchez’s story would come out from the area - even as far as Elk Point - to support them.
Tables of heaping baked goods were laid out the Oct. 6 fundraiser, with the goods made by Sanchez’s co-workers at the St. Paul & District Co-op, as well as the foods students from Glendon and Regional High School.
Organizer Louise DeChamplain said she’s done many a bake sale before, but never seen anything like the response to Thursday’s event, saying, “It was nuts!”
DeChamplain had stayed up the previous few nights, baking until 5 a.m., but all the goods weren’t enough to keep up with the demand, with all the food selling out in 45 minutes, and the deli department jumping in to whip up 10 extra cakes to sell, each for $10.
“People threw $20 at us, and took one, and walked out,” she said, adding that between the bake sale and a raffle for a turkey dinner, they fundraised $2,616, which came as a surprise to the father.
“Benji just cried, he said - ‘I’m overhwlemed by the support of this community,’” said DeChamplain, adding the whole event touched her heart with the kindness of strangers, who also donated without asking for anything in return.
“It was such a spiritual, uplifting thing to do. Our community is wonderful. We live in the best place in the province.”
“This community is like a brotherhood to a family,” Sanchez said, adding this is especially true when a family is facing health concerns. Just the day before the event, a woman approached Sanchez and asked how his daughter was, and invited him to join her for a prayer.
“It’s really touched my heart – they feel what I feel.”
Although leaving his family to come to work in St. Paul is always a wrenching feeling, Sanchez had a reason to give extra thanks over Thanksgiving weekend - not only for the support of the community, but to be able to spend time with his wife and daughter at the Stollery as they pray to someday bring her home.
On Oct. 17, doctors have indicated they plan to check how Jaminah’s tumour is responding to treatment, and if possible, to proceed with surgery to remove it, said Sanchez. He treasures her happy moments – when she can stand up or her big smiles after being fed.
“I keep on praying it will continue, the health she has shown to us.”
