SAULT STE. MARIE—Within less than a week of learning that 20-year-old Wyatt Kennedy of Little Current has been diagnosed with lymphoma, the Island community has rallied around the college student with plenty of fundraisers already underway.
The family explained that Wyatt, who is studying civil engineering at Sault College, was diagnosed with lymphoma last week. As it is still early days, Wyatt and his family are still waiting to hear whether he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—a cancer that starts in the cells of the lymphatic system. This diagnosis will be made through tests of cells taken from the young man’s bone marrow and from there, treatment, in the form of chemotherapy, can begin. Wyatt will take all his treatment in Sault Ste. Marie, where he is enrolled at school.
A life-long athlete, known on rinks across Manitoulin and on the track, Wyatt began feeling unwell in July of this year, his family told The Expositor, but coming from a family with a strong work ethic, he continued to work through his sore throats, exhaustion and general malaise this summer as a student with the Northeast Town.
The first fundraising event to support Wyatt and his family is scheduled next Wednesday, December 23 at 7 pm, with the Alumni Past and Present Get Together Hockey Fundraiser. Two teams will face off in this fun event at the Northeast Town Recreation Centre, where Wyatt worked before heading for school in the fall, and where he has played hockey his entire life. Admission by $10 donation with all of the proceeds going to Wyatt and his family. A Christmas bake table will also be held, as well as other fundraising initiatives to support the cause.
For more information about this event, contact Thomas Hayden at 705-368-2663.
Hockey helmet stickers in the form of a ribbon, designed and donated by KD Designs, are also available for sale for $5, with these funds going toward Wyatt as well. The ribbons will be available to buy at KD Designs, 22 Cockburn St. Little Current.
The brother and sister duo of Thomas and Brittany Hayden, friends of Wyatt and his family, have also set up a popular GoFundMe account which, as of press time Monday, had already raised $4,400 with 88 donations. To make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com and search for “Wyatt Kennedy.”
The Little Current Lions Club has also stepped up to the plate, donating $1,000 to the young man’s cause.
A fundraising dance is also being planned for a date yet to be determined in late January in Little Current.
Manitoulin has once again shown its generous nature, rallying to support a popular young athlete in his time of need.
UPDATE: Here is the direct link to the GoFundMe page for Wyatt Kennedy
