Gus Pratt, an eight-year-old from Onoway, donated $1,000 to the Barrhead Community Cancer Centre on July 30, the same day his mother, Brittany Pratt, finished her last chemotherapy treatment. Gus collected the money at his July 28 birthday party by asking guests to give donations instead of presents for his eighth birthday.
Brittany underwent 48 weeks of chemotherapy for sarcoma at the centre. She said receiving treatment in Barrhead let her stay close to home instead of having to travel to Edmonton. Gus’s stepfather, Ryan Pye, also highlighted the benefits of rural care. “We’ve been to the Cross Cancer Institute and they do great work, but you never see the same person twice unless it’s your doctor,” he said. “Here, you see the same familiar faces every week, and they really get to know you.”
Gus chose the cancer centre as the focus of his fundraising after learning his birthday falls on July 28, the same date as Terry Fox’s birthday. “When I found out that I got $1,000, I freaked out,” Gus said. “My mom had cancer, and today, she gets to ring the bell.” The donation celebrated his mother’s remission and the care she received at the rural facility.
The Barrhead Community Cancer Centre serves residents from communities across a wide area, including Barrhead, Westlock, Slave Lake, Swan Hills, and Mayerthorpe. The Barrhead Healthcare Centre Auxiliary supports the centre through fundraising that pays for patient comforts like heated massage chairs, a blanket warmer, and a vein finder. Community donations like Gus’s help maintain those extras that make treatment a little easier for patients and their families.
The centre, located inside the Barrhead Healthcare Centre at 4815 51 Avenue, provides chemotherapy, symptom management, and counseling. It expanded to four times its original size in a 2016 renovation, growing from 522 square feet to 2,040 square feet.
