'He was a fighter,' says father after toddler dies of leukemia
Sukhbir Minhas urges people to register as donors so other families don't go through what his did
A Winnipeg toddler with acute myeloid leukemia has died after hundreds came forward to register as donors in an effort to help him.
After being diagnosed with the disease on Oct. 25, 20-month-old Tegveer Minhas went through two rounds of chemotherapy, losing his hair and a lot of weight.
During that time, his family put out calls to the public to come forward and register bone marrow and stem cell information, in hopes that someone would be a match.
Hundreds of people in Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta were swabbed, and Tegveer got a stem cell donation, but his dad said it didn't work.
"After eight months of struggle, he passed away on June 18, early in the morning at 6 a.m.," said his dad, Sukhbir Minhas.
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Minhas said his family is trying to stay strong, but they are having a hard time.
"He was a happy soul. He loved to go out. We took him to Clear Lake on June 4, and I wish I knew that he would love it so much. We were planning to go back again," Minhas said.
Go get swabbed, family says
The hundreds of strangers who registered as donors, prayed for and even phoned the family to offer support meant the world to Minhas and his wife, he said.
"There was a time in the hospital, it was in January I think, we were so sure that my son's going to be all right, because it's just not me and my wife, it's thousands of other people who are praying for him," he said.
He urged people, especially young people aged 18 to 35, to register as donors to help other families.
"I respect every person from the bottom of my heart who went and got themselves swabbed, and even those who just had a thought of going and get themselves swabbed. That means they care for my son as I and my wife," he said.
"It feels a little better than if there was nobody for us."