Walter Massett was an early walker, taking his first steps at 10 months old. By March 2020, just shy of his second birthday, Walter’s mom, Rae-Anne, noticed Walter having some trouble with his balance and mobility. Walter had frequent ear infections, so Rae-Anne thought it could be yet another one throwing off his balance.

When Bonnie Stocking met Erin Lovell, she knew she’d found someone special. “We connected immediately,” Bonnie says. “As soon as we saw each other, we were all in.” It was young love, which took a serious turn at the get-go.

It’s hard to capture an infectious giggle in words, but that’s exactly what you get when you speak to Alicia. Living with a brain tumour has been a lifelong endeavor for her. She was diagnosed at just six months old, and has undergone six brain surgeries, experienced loss of vision, and complications from multiple medications. 

In early 2020, as the world dealt with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, 26-year-old Elman Mirzaei faced even more uncertainty. He woke up one morning to two paramedics looking over him, after his girlfriend (now-wife), Esther, noticed him having a seizure in his sleep and called for help. Elman didn’t recall it happening.

In 2017, 24-year-old Laura Thompson was living her dream, having just co-founded a natural skincare company, now known as Three Ships. She’d been having what she thought were minor episodes, where for 10 to 15 seconds she felt a strong disassociation between her mind and her body.

Kelly Dubuc’s son, Sam, has been easygoing from day one. “He was just chill out of the gates,” Kelly, of Guelph, Ont., recalls. “I called the nurse in after he was born and said, ‘I think there’s something wrong with him. He never cries.’ She put her hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Consider yourself lucky. You’ve got an easy baby.’” Through the years, he’s maintained the same happy, positive attitude.