For as long as anyone can remember, Reid has been a whirlwind of energy — the kind of boy who could never sit still, always on the move, and happiest when holding a hockey stick. But in early 2020, what seemed like a simple sports injury turned into the beginning of a life-changing journey.
During a regular hockey game, Reid fell awkwardly and broke his right leg. It was a painful moment — but what doctors discovered in that leg was far more serious than a fracture. X-rays revealed strange, shadowy shapes inside the bone of his right tibia. Tumours.
At first, everyone hoped for the best. The doctors told his family that the tumours looked benign. There was relief — cautious, but real. No one could have imagined that it would take nearly a full year to uncover the truth.
A Year of Uncertainty
The months that followed were filled with confusion, travel, and fear. In May 2020, Reid underwent surgery in London, Ontario to remove the tumours. But when the surgeon made the incision, what they found was unlike anything they had seen before.
“When they cut into the bone,” Reid’s mother recalls, “the tumours spilled out like toothpaste.”
The surgeon immediately stopped the procedure and took samples for testing. The biopsy was sent from London to Toronto, then on to Calgary. But even after multiple reviews, no one could agree on what type of tumour it was.
Each phone call brought new theories — and new uncertainty. Was it benign? Malignant? Something in between? Every answer seemed to contradict the last.
“It was like living in limbo,” his mother says. “We knew something was wrong, but no one could tell us what.”
A Desperate Search for Answers
By September 2020 — nearly a year after that first hockey accident — the family still didn’t have a diagnosis. Refusing to give up, Reid’s mother decided to take matters into her own hands.
Through her work, she accessed a Second Opinion Service that connected them with a team of medical specialists in Boston, USA. She gathered every file, scan, and biopsy result and sent them across the border.
A month later, the report arrived.
The Boston doctors agreed on a rare and aggressive diagnosis: adamantinoma, a slow-growing cancer that develops in the long bones, most often in the tibia.
When the tests in Toronto confirmed it, Reid’s family finally had the answer they had been fighting to find for 11 long months.
Fighting Back — One Surgery at a Time
With a diagnosis came a plan — and a new kind of battle.
In May 2021, surgeons at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto performed a complex operation to remove the tumours and replace part of Reid’s tibia with a donor bone. For a while, it seemed to work. But scans soon showed traces of tumour cells still present.
Four months later, in September 2021, Reid faced an even more intense procedure. Surgeons removed his entire right tibia and rebuilt his leg using his own left fibula — a painstaking operation that lasted hours.
Because the cancer had grown so close to his ankle, doctors were forced to cut into his ankle’s growth plate, knowing it would affect the future growth of his leg. They stretched his right leg as much as possible to balance the length, but it meant one thing: Reid would likely need more surgeries in the future to keep his legs even.
Through it all, Reid never complained.
“He just wanted to get back on the ice,” his mom says. “That’s all he talked about — hockey.”
The Long Road to Recovery
Now 11 years old, Reid continues to attend follow-ups every four months at SickKids Hospital. His scans have remained clear, a word his family never takes for granted. Physical therapy has become a constant part of his life — rebuilding muscle, regaining strength, and relearning how to move with a reconstructed leg.
The road hasn’t been easy. There are days filled with pain, fatigue, and frustration. But Reid meets each one with determination. His dream is simple but powerful — to skate again.
“Every time he struggles in therapy, he thinks of hockey,” his mom says. “It keeps him going.”
Doctors have told the family that another surgery will likely be needed soon to stunt the growth in his left leg, ensuring both legs stay the same length as he grows. It’s another hurdle — but one they’re ready to face together.
A Family’s Strength
Throughout the ordeal, Reid’s family has found strength in the people around them — relatives, friends, doctors, and even strangers who reached out to help. The community rallied behind him, sending messages, cards, and encouragement every step of the way.
“We couldn’t have made it through without them,” his mother says. “When you’re living through something like this, support means everything.”
Her message to other parents is simple, but powerful:
“Trust your instincts. Keep pushing for answers. Don’t give up — even when the doctors don’t have them yet.”
Back to the Ice
Today, Reid walks without pain and continues to grow stronger every day. His scars tell a story — not just of illness, but of endurance. When he looks at the hockey rink, he doesn’t see what he lost. He sees where he’s going.
He’s still that same energetic, determined boy — only now, he carries a kind of strength most adults never find.
“Reid is my hero,” his mother says, smiling. “He’s been through more than most people do in a lifetime — and he’s still smiling, still dreaming, still fighting.”
💛 Because sometimes, courage isn’t loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it’s a boy with a rebuilt leg, chasing a hockey puck — and his future — one determined stride at a time.
