Victoria mother collecting 1,000 paper cranes for daughter struggling with cancer

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WATCH: One thousand paper cranes. In Japanese culture, it’s a symbol of hope, and one Victoria mother says that’s just what her family needs in time for Christmas. Her daughter is fighting leukemia and recently recovering from a stem cell transplant. Now her mom is hoping the public will help deliver 1000 messages of hope in the form of paper cranes. Kori Sidaway has the story.

Fold by fold, Alison Lockhart is creating something, out of nothing.

“I can do this in my sleep. There’s my beautiful little crane,” said Lockhart.

One origami crane, of what she hopes will be a thousand.

“A thousand cranes has come to symbolize hope and peace and wish for something, something special,” said Lockhart.

And that special wish is for her daughter, Amy.

“She had gone to the hospital in the middle of the night. And the doctor came in and said ‘Amy you have leukemia,'” said Lockhart recalling the moment her daughter Amy found out she had cancer.

“A few hours later she was airlifted to Vancouver General hospital and started treatment right that evening.”

Three rounds of radiation treatment and a stem cell transplant since just this past March, Amy is spending the holidays recovering in isolation at VGH.

“Sometimes it’s hard to have hope when your daughter is going through all these horrible treatments and suffering so much and is in so much pain,” said Lockhart with tears in her eyes.

So, Lockhart set out to build her own hope.

And after Amy mentioning she remembered growing up with cranes in a bowl on their coffee table, she knew exactly what to do.

“I’m going to make you 1000 cranes for your own well wish,” said Lockhart.

She asked for the help of family and friends, even strangers, through a Facebook fundraiser set up to help with her daughter’s expenses, asking anyone who donates to include a message of hope for Amy, which she transcribes, then folds into tiny paper cranes.

“I hope your smile continues to brighten people’s lives as you kick cancer’s butt. Wishing you a peaceful recovery, surrounded by love and that’s by Natasha,” said Lockhart reading a well-wish someone has sent in.

Having received around 150 well-wishes so far, Lockhart is hoping more strangers will send their notes of hope in, to help Amy through the holidays.

“I can just feel it when I touch these cranes that were folded by strangers, that were all thinking about Amy when they were folding them,” said Lockhart.

“It gives me more hope. And I’m sure if it’s hard for me, just think about how hard it is for her. All she wants to do is live.”

And Lockhart is ready to do whatever she can to make her daughter’s wish come true  one by one, crane by crane.

Kori SidawayKori Sidaway

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