5-year-old Lawson has endured over 14 months of intensive treatment, surgeries, and hospital stays as he courageously fights rhabdomyosarcoma.

Lawson’s cancer journey started in February 2025 when he was taken to the local emergency department after experiencing difficulty urinating. Imaging revealed a mass on his prostate, and he was admitted immediately and then transferred to SickKids in Toronto.

A biopsy confirmed the hearth-breaking diagnosis… Lawson had rhabdomyosarcoma.

This brave kid started chemotherapy shortly after his diagnosis and has spent most of the following year in intensive treatment.

In the summer of 2025, surgery to remove the tumour was attempted but the procedure had to be halted due to the significant risks involved.

His care team determined that Lawson would require proton therapy, so Lawson and his family relocated to Florida for 28 rounds of proton therapy while continuing chemo.

Lawson moved into the maintenance phase of treatment in early 2026 and his family began cautiously but hopefully returning to a normal routine.

However, Lawson began experiencing concerning new symptoms in April 2026.

These included increasing pain, difficultly urinating, and extreme fatigue. An emergency MRI revealed that his tumour had grown significantly, and he was airlifted to Toronto for urgent care at SickKids. Lawson underwent surgery to reroute his bladder through ureterostomies, after which significant recovery time was needed.

Further testing indicated that some cancer cells had not responded to previous treatment and had mutated, causing new cancer growth.

His team recommended a relapse chemotherapy protocol – a much stronger treatment that would give him the best chance of kicking cancer’s butt.

Lawson began relapse chemo in late April. This treatment requires regular inpatient admissions every three weeks with additional hospital stays often needed due to low blood counts. It's extremely intense and takes a serious toll on little bodies.

With the support of his parents and his twin brother, Lennox, this brave young man continues to fight with great courage and expertly adapt to treatment life. He manages his ostomy bags with confidence, even emptying them himself, and takes his medications independently.

As well as being incredibly mature, he’s also known for his cheeky sense of humour that brings joy to everyone around him. He’s bright, outgoing, and loves to make people laugh!

Lawson, we’re all riding for YOU this August… you’re a true fighter!