Olivia, Isabella, Maria, Joe, Gabriella and Sophia Barile in Windsor, Ont. on Aug. 5. Sisters Isabella, Gabriella and Sophia are participating in the Walk to Conquer Cancer in Toronto next month in honour of their mother Maria who has Stage 4 lung cancer and is part of clinical trials for a new treatment at Princess Margaret hospital.Courtesy of family
The organizers: Sophia, Gabby and Isabella Barile
The pitch: Raising $20,000 and climbing
The cause: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto
About a year ago, Maria Barile came down with a cough that she couldn’t seem to shake.
After a few weeks she went to see her family doctor in Windsor, Ont., and an X-ray of her lungs proved inconclusive. After some further analysis by doctors at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Ms. Barile was told last March that she had Stage 4 lung cancer.
The diagnosis came as a shock. Ms. Barile, 51, had never smoked and she had no other symptoms beyond the persistent cough. Doctors told her she had a rare genetic mutation called ROS1 which drives abnormal cell growth.
Ms. Barile was accepted into a clinical-trial program at Princess Margaret for a new chemotherapy medication. She has been able to stay at home in Windsor and she commutes to the hospital a couple times a week with her husband Joe Barile.
Ms. Barile’s three daughters – Isabella, 21, Sophia, 19, and 17-year old Gabby – have decided to show their support for their mom and the hospital by participating in the Walk to Conquer Cancer on Sept. 7 which raises money for research at Princess Margaret. The 21-kilometre walk covers much of downtown Toronto and it has raised more than $190-million since it started as an annual event 22 years ago.
The sisters have raised around $20,000 in total so far with help from Mr. Barile. A few other relatives are also walking and they’ve collected around $10,000.
“This is just a small thing that we can do to help our mom and show our gratitude towards people who are helping her,” Sophia said.
“Without Princess Margaret our mom’s options would have been pretty limited,” Gabby added.
The girls hope their mom will be able to join them for at least some of the walk, along with their youngest sister, 10-year old Olivia.
When asked how their mother has been feeling, Sophia laughed and replied: “She’s a very hard-headed Italian woman, so every day she gets up, she cleans and she takes care of us, and that’s about it.”