This coming Tuesday, wear pyjamas for Hayden!
The Foulon family is celebrating the memory of their courageous little girl by asking local residents to consider wearing “jammies” in honour of Hayden on the first anniversary of her passing.
After capturing the hearts of the local community and much of southwestern Ontario, including Mitch Marner, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Blue Jays, seven-year-old Hayden Foulon passed away on October 20th, 2019 after a nearly life-long and inspiring battle with leukemia.
The London girl, whose father is originally from Wallaceburg, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was just 22 months old.
“The time has gone by really fast,” says Hayden’s mother, Lindsay Foulon, when reflecting on the last year. “It’s been a lot of emotions with ups and downs. We’ve been very lucky to have the support we’ve received from many people near and far. We miss our girl every day and there’s lots of reminders that she’s still around us, but it’s been a challenging year, for sure.”
Tuesday’s event and fundraiser for the Hayden Hope Fundraiser is a way to keep the memory of Hayden alive and well and to celebrate how she inspired so many over her short time.
Lindsay says the pyjama day concept is something that would bring a big smile to Hayden’s face.
“For so long, Hayden wore pyjamas day in and day out, doing treatments at the hospital. A lot of the kids at the hospitals are in their jammies all the time and a lot of those poor kids never feel seen,” adds Foulon. “They’re just kind of hidden away from the world, so we want to show support to the kids and we want to have the community all come together and let the kids see we’re wearing our jammies for you and while doing so, in memory of Hayden.”
The Foulon family is asking those who are able to consider a small $2 donation that will benefit Hayden’s Hope Foundation, as the Foulon family attempts to make a difference in the world of oncology.
Knowing they are not alone in their struggle, the family created Hayden’s Hope Foundation shortly after Hayden’s passing.
“My sister and I decided we couldn’t turn our backs on the Oncology world,” says Lindsay. “We decided to make a foundation in Hayden’s name. Our main goal with the foundation is for cancer research, because it is very under funded unfortunately. We’re also looking at helping families who have to travel to remote hospitals including Sick Kids Hospital and other similar facilities. Another program we’re working on is mental health support for families because we know it’s been a struggle for us and we’re not the only family out there that are experiencing a really hard time. We want to reach out to those families and provide them with any mental health support that they might need.”
Lindsay says her family continues to feel support from the Chatham-Kent area.
“The support that Wallaceburg and the Chatham-Kent area gave and gives to our family is something that we’ll never forget. It’s so overwhelming. All of the love that we felt from everybody and still feel to this day from everybody in the area. It’s incredible and it means so much to all of us.”
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