Newsletter December 2020
A Message from our Founder
This holiday season is so different. Traditions and customary ways now meet with uncertainty. We no longer come and go as we please, do what we usually do. Not much is the same!
We all live different lives, have different experiences. We just cannot know what challenges will fall into our lives, or land on others. I learned that 20 years ago, as my family received the news of Meagan's illness, and our lives changed forever.
In the face of adversity, we can still make choices. Whether individually, or as a community, we can choose compassion, inclusivity, tenacity. And with Meagan’s HUG, this is what we do.
Being brave may not be a choice. The simple act of facing uncertainty, dark times can be an act of courage. It is our choice, to face uncertainty, to make way for hope and seek the light at the end of our journeys.
Together we are stronger. In troubling times, our choices to be caring and generous, can affect the lives of so many. Our choices can become the cornerstone that helps others to keep their footing during troubled and confusing times.
I wish all of you a peaceful holiday celebration. And thank you for your ongoing compassion and support. The children and their families whom we support, know they too can count on us during these challenging times.
Did you know that you can donate securities to Meagan’s HUG?
Gifts of securities are a great way to help Meagan’s HUG reach its fundraising goals and make a lasting difference in the lives of children and their families who are affected by brain tumours. Your gifts are gifts of hope!
Donations of securities “in kind” also gives you a charitable tax receipt from
Meagan’s HUG for the value of the securities, and there is no capital gains tax for you to pay.
You can also plan ahead, and include a gift of securities to Meagan’s HUG in your estate and will planning.
Please contact Meagan’s HUG at
info@meaganshug.com to find out more about how to donate.
Last summer, Samantha Martens-Friesen joined the Meagan’s HUG team of volunteers as Social Media Team Lead. Samantha may be new to the role, but Meagan’s HUG has had a place in her heart for years.
Samantha is aunt to Meagan’s HUG Hero Cienna. In August 2012, when she was six years old, Cienna was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive and difficult to treat brain tumour. While living in Saskatchewan, Cienna and her family made several trips to SickKids thanks to generous support from their community. Caring and courageous Cienna never complained, even when she had to spend her seventh birthday undergoing radiation therapy.
During the summer of 2013, Cienna’s cancer continued to progress. She passed away peacefully on September 7, 2013.
That’s when Cienna’s mom Rochelle turned to Meagan’s HUG, moved to help create better outcomes for other children and their families. Samantha remained a pillar of support for Rochelle, her sister-in-law and best friend, advocating for Meagan’s HUG, sending donations and cheering on Cienna’s Rock’en Runners during the annual Meagan’s HUG five-kilometre walk.
Embracing the pandemic-caused shift to remote work, Samantha is thrilled to continue her contributions to Meagan’s HUG as a volunteer, leading social media management from her home in Creston, BC.
“I do it in honour of Cienna,” says Samantha. “In this way, I can support the bigger picture, getting to that point where children and families don’t have to deal with what my family has dealt with. It’s about finding future solutions, awareness and research.”
Samantha is a cherished member of the Meagan’s HUG family and we are awed by her incredible dedication to bringing us closer to a cure and a community of hope for children and their families.
Gifts of Hope
With the holidays approaching, now is a time to plan your year- end giving and to honour the spirit of the season by making gifts that count.
One thing that remains unchanged is your generosity in supporting Meagan’s HUG. Hope matters! And your commitment to changing lives of children who have been affected by a brain tumour diagnosis has given hope to countless families.
Would you make a special gift today to Meagan’s HUG? You can celebrate the season by making a donation in honour of a family member, friend, or colleague. Make this holiday memorable as a time of hope, a time to make a difference.
Get Ready to HUG!
Introducing the HUG CHALLENGE
We could all use a HUG
right now!
Hugs are simple yet powerful.
Hugs change things. Hugs heal and transform. A hug can say more than words ever could. Sometimes we all just need a hug and now feels like one of those times.
Hugs are what we are all about at Meagan’s HUG.
Now as Meagan’s HUG enters the 20th anniversary year, our goals remain the same: to increase public awareness of paediatric brain tumours; to raise funds to support research; and to share a message of hope with young patients and those who love them.
Our efforts support the “bench to bedside” philosophy that guides the remarkable work of the Brain Tumour Research Centre, where discoveries translate into tangible benefits for young brain tumour patients throughout the world.
The need for ground-breaking and life-changing brain tumour research is as important as ever.
JOIN the HUG Challenge
Just like a hug, the idea is simple.
1. Record a quick video and let us know who you miss hugging and send them that hug virtually. Challenge at least one other person to do the same thing. Tag the people you are challenging and tag Meagan’s Hug too.
2. Post your video and challenge on social media using the hashtags #HUGchallenge #TogetherWeHug and help us send this hug across the country and around the world.
Don’t like videos? No problem. Snap a photo and include who you want to send it to and who you are challenging in the content of your social media post instead.
Not comfortable using social media but still want to help spread the word and share a hug? We’ve got you covered. Send your video/photo
hugchallenge@meaganshug.com and we will post it for you.
Meagan’s HUG Charitable Info
Registered Charitable Business Number
774077473 RR 0001
Canada Revenue Agency:
CONTACT US
3273 Bloor St W, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1E2, Canada
Thank you to Meagan’s HUG newsletter volunteers,
Debbie Tong, Anna Muir, Blair Day
