Liam's Story

Deana Wilson

Ittook us 6 months to really figure it all out, but we did it. It didn’t take long for my aunt to create some amazing illustrations. We set a date to release the book, we planned a launch and we got everything done. I thought... I am a marketing master!

When COVID hit and our original plan fell apart, I started to worry. I came up with an alternative plan however, a brilliant idea, and decided last min that we would have an ONLINE Party instead! Everyone who promised to show up still did!!! Can you believe we had Doug Gilmor, Akil Thomas, and Mohamad Fakih all come out and support Liam, plus his school, neighbors and complete strangers as we did it on zoom then streamed it on Facebook. It which was absolutely amazing.

“Liam, Strong as a Tree” was about Liam’s first year in kindergarten and all of his challenges. It was also about making friends and teaching the kids to be as strong as trees, just like him! The first year we sold over 1500 books which to us was phenomenal. We are still selling them to this day. We have continued to do numerous events and raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis over the years as well as raising funds for SickKids.

In October of 2020 my father got very ill he was diagnosed with Stage 4 aggressive Lung Cancer. It was very hard to watch such a strong-willed man go down hill so quickly. Liam was his whole world and I know Liam felt the same way about him. My dad taught him so much. Liam was very close with his grandfather who heavily advocated that Liam should have his care transferred to The Hospital for Sick Children as it is one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world. Myself, along with the hospital began to research how to transfer Liam’s care. However, when Liam’s grandfather got very sick, everything was put on hold in 2020.

In February of 2021, Liam’s grandfather unfortunately passed away. It was a very difficult time for the family but also motivational. I was determined to transfer Liam’s care to SickKids in honour of my father’s pursuit to ensure Liam received the best care. In the summer of 2021, Liam was successfully referred to SickKids and had his first appointment on August 24 th with Dr. Ratjen, Division Chief of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine. Liam loves visiting SickKids and runs around the 4 th floor like he owns the place. He visits SickKids every three months for a check-in.