An instructor at a downtown Squamish yoga studio is planning a fundraiser this weekend for the family of a local infant suffering from a rare form of infantile cancer.
Lina Marie Palethorpe was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer when she was just six weeks old. Between 50 and 75 children are diagnosed with neuroblatoma every year, and the disease is responsible for 12 to 15 per cent of pediatric cancer deaths.
Lina was diagnosed after her mother Kati noticed the infant had a lump in her lower spine and didn't appear to be moving around as expected, said instructor Annie Martinello of The Yoga Studio, where Kati has been attending yoga classes for the past few years. The lump turned out to be a neuroblastoma tumor.
Now four months old, little Lina has spent about half of her life at B.C. Children's Hospital and has undergone two sessions of chemotherapy and two blood transfusions, said Martinello.
Doctors have told Lina's parents, Mike and Kati, that the treatments have gone well so far, and that they're now waiting to determine their effectiveness before determining what the next treatment steps might be, Martinello said.
"They're just keeping watch before they make the decision whether they're going to operate," she said.
While the family's spirits have remained high, the ordeal has obviously been difficult for them as Mike and Kati have had to take time off work, and have done their best to help big sister Frieda, 3, understand what's been happening with her baby sister, she said.
"Over the last couple of weeks they've even had their furnace go, so it's been trying times for them," Martinello said.
The fundraiser, which is scheduled this Saturday (March 5) at The Yoga Studio, will see Martinello offer various yoga classes, with admission by donation to the Palethorpe family. It'll start at 1 p.m. with a mom-and-baby yoga class, followed at 2 p.m. by a "flow" class which is open to anyone for a minimum donation of $10 per person.
At 3:30 p.m., a chanting and meditation circle is planned for about 20 minutes, again by donation, and from 4 to 5:30 p.m. there will be a silent auction including a host of items donated by local businesses and artists, outdoors instructors, and health practicioners including those who perform physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture, Martinello said.
As well, studio owners Sarah Manwaring-Jones and Lydia Zamorano are donating the studio space for the fundraiser.
Martinello said she doesn't have a specific amount of money in mind, but said she hopes to help the family pay for any expenses it may incur including housing in Vancouver and the like. At least as important as the money is the chance for the community to come together and send positive energy to little Lina's family, she said.
"Part of this is to focus emotional energy and bringing people together to show their support," she said. "In a community like Squamish, where there's a lot of young families who can relate to their situation, there's already been a lot of support just through emails and such."
Those wishing to donate items to the silent auction may contact Martinello at (604) 815-4324 or bring them to the studio at 37776 Second Ave. on Saturday.
Proceeds from the annual Guns and Hoses charity hockey game on Friday, March 11, will also benefit the Palethorpe family. For more information about the game, see separate article in Sports.
