Andrew Harper and Stephanie Quinn are the proud parents of seven year old Morgan. A smart, outgoing and beautiful little girl. The perfect example of a family here in Norfolk County. Andrew, smiled like a proud father as he told us all about Morgan.
The young angler’s favourite place to fish is Temagami where she catches pickerel.
This spring Morgan took ill and she was taken to McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. A nightmare for the family, as little Morgan needed to be placed onto life support. The diagnosis came after the family had been in the dark for over a month. Andrew told us what it was like when the doctor said… leukemia.
Morgan has begun chemotherapy treatments at McMaster. These treatments will be ongoing for the next two-and-a-half to three years. Her first round of treatments did not return the numbers they were hoping for, and Andrew told us they had to make a number of changes.
While staying at McMaster, Morgan’s parents sleep each night beside her on a chair that folds out into a makeshift bed. The family could stay at Ronald McDonald House, but that would mean leaving their daughter alone at the hospital; clearly not an option. Having a sick child who needs your attention and love around the clock means a lot of missed days at work. Then there are the travel expenses taking Morgan to treatments and traveling back and forth giving each other breaks. Needless to say it is a financial drain on the family.
To support Morgan and her family, the community is hosting a movie night under the stars to raise money. Morgan has chosen the movie Garfield for everyone. Andrew and Stephanie can’t thank the community enough for their donations, but Andrew told us that Morgan appreciates something else much more.
Many people, businesses and groups have chipped in to make this happen. All you need to do is come out Friday night (7pm-1030pm) to the Vittoria Community Centre. Bring your lawn chair or a blanket and watch the movie Garfield under the stars. Morgan is hoping to make it out too, but is currently at McMaster and undergoing treatment.
If you can’t make it out but want to help, E-transfers can be made to squin676@mtroyal.ca using the password Morgan.
Written by Jeremy Hall