Bowl-a-thon in Laval gives families touched by cancer a place to have fun

Cancer survivors, their loved ones and members of the community gathered at Quilles 440 on Sunday to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the 10th edition of the StrikeOut Cancer Bowl-a-thon in Laval, Que.

Nestor Sanchez's eight-year-old son, Kamahri, is one of those cancer survivors. When Kamahri was two years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sanchez met Anthony Pacella, the founder of the StrikeOut Cancer Fund, two years later through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and says he was like an older brother to Kamahri.

"It was very difficult for everyone, but we all stayed together as a family," said Sanchez. "People like Anthony and the foundation, they helped us get through it."

Kamahri is now cancer free. His wish was to go to the beach and touch dolphins, which he will be doing in the Bahamas with his family next year due to delays caused by the pandemic.

Pacella was 15 years old when his mother, Mary Melillo Pacella, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and lost her ability to speak. Pacella wanted to find a way to honour her, so he wrote her a letter detailing his wish to create an event to help people with cancer.

"She gave me a thumbs up and 12 years later, that thumbs up is something that motivates me to keep going, to continue living in her legacy," he said.

Melillo Pacella died on Jan. 6, 2011, six months after her diagnosis. Pacella put on the first Bowl-a-thon two months later, with family and friends in attendance.

Over its 10 editions (the event was paused during the pandemic), the Bowl-a-thon has grown — with about 200 attendees raising nearly $10,000 this year.

Georgia Papadopoulos has been a nurse for 30 years, and says no one ever becomes immune to the effects of seeing someone fight cancer.

"It touches a few heart strings," said Papadopoulos, who was at the Bowl-a-thon to show her support for the cause.

Jason Haddad says it was important for him to go to the Bowl-a-thon because a close friend had recently lost his mother to cancer.

"We grew up together so his mom was like a second mother to us. It hurt us as much as if it was our mother," said Haddad.

This will be the last Bowl-a-thon at Quilles 440, with the alley closing permanently on April 30.

Pacella plans to keep the event going at a new venue next year.

This story is part of CBC's Community Bureau in Laval.