Kids with illnesses play without fear of germs at Calgary preschool

When Sheri Ewing's toddler was diagnosed with cancer, she suddenly found her family cut off from friends and their community.

Her son Jamiewas not yet three years old and couldn't visit with other kids for fear of catching germs, which could have been deadly to his compromised immune system.

"It was very isolating because it was hard to find kids for him to play with," Ewing told the Calgary Eyeopener. "You can go to the hospital and you can go home again."

Ewing found a solution. In 1986, she opened Jamie's Preschool Society for kids with immune deficiencies and their siblings. Her first students were her son's fellow cancer patients.

Now 32 years later, it's helpeddozens of families with children who havecancer, blood disorders, organ transplantsand other illnesses or procedures.

It's located just northeast of the Alberta Children's Hospital, which the families frequent.

'Community feel'

Previously, she had to make sure that any children her son methadchicken pox and didn't have a runny nose, a cough or even a cold sore. Quickly, the only children her once-busytoddler could meet were the other immune-compromised kids in the doctor's waiting room.

"Their developmental milestones weren't going to be met, and I said, 'You know, maybe we could have a preschool where these kids all come and we could have a teacher,'" Ewing said. "They could kind of have like a normal preschool."

At the preschool, mother Inge van Galen saidher son could make friends and play for the first time without her worrying.

"It's fantastic for the kids to socialize but us parents, or us moms, also meet other moms in similar situations," she said. "And you get that community feel."

Socialization 'so important'

Van Galen has two sons who have attended the preschool. Her eldest, now five-and-a-half years old, was diagnosed with cancer at three months.Finn spent about a year in chemotherapy.

"He was about 16 months and we needed to find a place to socialize him, but he was still immune compromised because he couldn't have his vaccinations. The chemo just got to his immune system," she said. "But that socialization piece was so important."

Another mother of a child with cancer told her about the preschool. Her three-year-old, named Bodi, now attendsas he can't bring home any contagious illnesses. Finn nowhas a condition callneurofibromatosis, which causes tumours to grow in the nervous system.

Van Galen also volunteers on the preschool's board, where she's giving back to the community she appreciates so much.

The preschool is a registered charity, and offers three afternoons of preschool a week, plus other activities and outings for families.

Ewing has made friendships that date back to her son's diagnosis, thanks to the preschool she started. Her son is also still friends with some of the kids he met as a child.

He's now 35 and just had a baby of his own, his mother said.

"He's pretty proud of Jamie's Preschool," she said.

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With files from Kathryn Marlow and theCalgary Eyeopener.