Fundraiser for a Waterloo man battling cancer getting an outpouring of community support

By Divya Gill

A father of two young children was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour since he was 15 years old.

Stephen Fitz-Henry was diagnosed with a Myxopapillary Ependymoma, also known as a brain tumour. The tumour is extremely rare, one in three million, and are usually very slow-growing.

However, in Fitz-Henry's case, his tumour has grown more rapidly than usual. He has had many recurrences over the past 15 years and has endured five significant surgeries starting in 2007, 2009, two in 2017 & 2020. He has also been radiated from head to toe, and doctors have said no more radiation.

Since his last doctor's appointment, Fitz-henry's MRI showed the tumour that remained from his surgery in September 2020 is not responding to the chemotherapy treatment.

The family has already received an outpouring of family support. On their GoFundMe page, the family shares that the tumour has now grown from 4 cm to 5.2 cm in two months. Doctors say there is no further treatment plan, and they are now shifting him to the palliative care team where doctors will be able to manage his pain.

Now, Jesse Weber and Jay Carraro, hosts of Kitchener Famous Podcast, have teamed up with local artists in the region to host a virtual pre-recorded fundraising event for Fitz-Henry and his family.

The line up for the event includes:
June: Hosted by Easy-Pour, Ayr
Cheryl Lescom: Hosted by Lana's Lounge, Waterloo
Matt Weidinger and Mike Todd: Hosted by White Rabbit, Waterloo
Kevin Coates: Hosted by Descendants, Kitchener

The artists are taking part in a virtual pre-recorded concert this weekend called “Jammin' For The Fitz Fam.” Tickets are still available.

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