Every day in Canada, 6 children will be diagnosed with cancer — William Blake Pezzarello is one of them. At only 14 when doctors discovered a brain tumour, Blake chose to keep his sights on the future by prioritizing his education while enduring a rigorous treatment plan that ultimately saved his life.
“I missed at least one day of school each week in addition to recovery time from surgeries, and visited Sick Kids weekly for a chemotherapy cycle, which was all-consuming. The oncology team recommended that it’d be in my best interest to take a break from schooling, however, with their support and the support of my teachers, I chose to continue full-time. I prepared for assignments in advance, collected homework early, and was able to maintain my Honour Roll status throughout secondary school. Once my treatment finished in March 2020, I decided to turn the Covid-19 pandemic into a positive by accelerating my credits and graduating a year early in June 2021.”
More than 10,000 children, adolescents and young adults in Canada are in treatment for cancer right now and want the same as Blake — to build a future and live to see it. Through the CIBC Foundation, our bank is committed to supporting organizations helping to build a world without limits to ambition by creating a healthier future for children living with cancer.
One way the CIBC Foundation is doing this is through the Childhood Cancer Canada’s Survivor Scholarship program — a program Blake applied for and received support from in 2022. The CIBC Survivor Scholarship Program recognizes the financial hardships faced by families dealing with childhood cancer and provides 100 deserving young Canadians with $1,500 to support their post-secondary education each year.
“For me, the Survivor’s Scholarship has brought greater meaning to my diagnosis and has made my education more accessible. Throughout my cancer journey, I drew support from family, school, friends, and the community. Now in university, I continue to pursue new opportunities to get involved and follow my passions, and with this scholarship I will be able to achieve my educational pursuits at an Ontario Tech University, work towards my goal of becoming an accountant, and create change in the world. For that, I am incredibly thankful to this scholarship and for the support.”
To learn more, visit Childhood Cancer Canada Opens in a new window.
