'She's here for a purpose': Mother of Cameron Richard never stopped believing

Cameron Richard was two-years-old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that starts in nerve cells.

Seven years onshe is disease-freeand loves playing sports, especially soccer, enjoying a childhood her mother, Melissa Hackett, desperately wanted her to have.

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When Richard was diagnosed,Hackett said that her prognosis for being disease-free wasn't "the greatest," butas a mother she had to stay positive.

"It was pretty heartbreaking," Hackett said.

"Of course when you hear something like that about your child you have no choice but to just be strong for them. But it certainly wasn't an easy thing to watch."

'Community was amazing'

Richard had to travel to get the treatment she needed, going to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax for a surgery to remove multiple tumours and a preliminary round of chemotherapy.

From there she moved onto to Toronto to finish up her chemotherapy and had a stem cell transplant, then back to Halifax for radiation treatments.

Richard returned home to Summersidemore than three months after leaving for Toronto.Hackett said the ordeal united everyone around Richard.

"It definitely brought the two families connected to Cameron together.It definitely strengthened us as a family."

Hackett also said that the support they received from people during that time was special.

"The community was amazing," she said.

"There was parts of the Island all over the place that really helped pull a lot of things together for us, so we're very grateful for that because without that support I don't know how we would have made out without it."

'Be happy'

The type of cancer Richard had doesn't have a remission period, so when she was finished her treatment and came back to her home on the Island she still had to wait five years before doctors would say she was cancer free.

"When I took her home I was completely tickled pink because things were getting back to normal, well normal as it could be," Hackett said.

"So I got a little bit of hope then, but at the five-year mark is really when I was like 'this is done'."

Though she is now cancer and disease free,Richard may still have some battles ahead.

"We try and live as normal as we can, but we do have future concerns regarding the type ofchemosthat she had,"Hackett said.

"They're not going to worry about that until she's early teenager and we might have to face some issues then."

"But we just try not to think about that stuff. We just enjoy her as she is, and just enjoy life with her and be happy."

'She's a miracle'

When Richard was diagnosed, doctors said that she had a 40 per cent chance of being cured, and that the prognosis of her being disease free was not good.

"But she is," Hackett said. "Eightyears later and there's no explanation why, except she's a miracle. She's here."

Richard has taken part in the Relay For Life almost every year since 2010, the same year she returned home from her treatments in Halifax, and she led the survivors' lap that year.

"She was pretty proud to do that,"Hackettsaid.

She has been leading the survivors' lap almost every year since then too, something her mother thinks helps other cancer survivors.

"She definitely inspires other people, but she's very modest about it, she just acts like everything is no big deal," Hackett said.

"She's been like that since she was very little."

Hackett said that Richard was seven-years-old when she was told she was disease free, and every year her chances get better and better to stay that way.

"I believe that she's here for a purpose," Hackett said.

"She was born to be somebody and that's kind of what I held close to my heart, and she's proven that."

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