My name is Raymond Francis Hardisty. I’m 35 years old. I live in Stayner, Ontario with my parents, Steve & Mary Hardisty, and my sister, Lisa. I’m a former part-time employee at the Stayner/Wasaga Beach Dairy Queen.
My life from the very beginning has been both challenging, yet inspiring. When I was born, I had numerous infections. When I was just 5 months old, I was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Kostmann’s Neutropenia, which caused my immune system the inability to produce white blood cells, which helps the body fight off bacterial diseases. Doctors at Sick Kids Hospital tried everything they could think of to try & cure me of this disease, even going as far as to inject an IV in both of my hands & feet, but nothing they were using was working & time was slowly running out for me. Along the way, I developed symptoms of sepsis as well.
Then my mother read an article in the newspaper about a new universal drug that had just been created called Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF), which stimulates the bone marrow to produce white blood cells & release them into the bloodstream. Took 4 branches of Government to get the drug sent up to Sick Kids in Toronto to be tested on me (California, United States, Canada & Ontario). After a few shots of the drug & blood tests doctors slowly started seeing signs that the drug was working & that I was starting to feel better. My parents noticed right away before the doctors came back with the test results.
After more injections of the drug, the Kostmann’s Neutropenia eventually went away. Until my parents received bad news from the doctor at Sick Kids Hospital, saying that although the blood disorder was gone; I was now facing a new challenge: Cancer. In September 1993, at the age of only 4 years old I was diagnosed with Acute-Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and since I was born with a faulty bone marrow; the doctors told my parents that if they are to save me from my cancer, I will need to undergo a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). So, a worldwide search for a successful match was underway. In the meantime, I had undergone Chemotherapy & Radiation treatments. I also underwent a splenectomy due to full exposure to the cancer. I had also suffered from certain side effects such as Chicken Pox, Shingles & a couple of seizures. I was in & out of the hospital from September 1993 – June 1994.
In early February, a successful match had been found from a woman in Tilley, New Brunswick. The transplant took place on April 28th, 1994 & I was finally released from the hospital in early June (June 6th, 1994). 11 days later, I turned 5 years old.
TODAY I’M OFFICIALLY 30 YEARS CANCER FREE!!!!
A year after my transplant, a rare condition took place within my body called Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD); a rare medical complication following the receiving of transplanted tissue from a genetically different person. It’s commonly associated with stem cell or bone marrow transplants. The disease traveled throughout my whole entire body & attached itself to the tendons & ligaments within the soft tissue of my skin & gradually pulled it tight onto my bones & locked them into place right on my joints, which is why I look the way you see me now.
With GVHD come some challenges that I have to face everyday for the rest of my life, such as gripping, reaching & bending. But everyday, I’m always improvising & coming up with new strategies to overcome my disadvantages/obstacles, especially when at work. I have tools & supporters who help with assisting me with my disabilities; however, I always try to be more independent & do things on my own, so that I don’t always have to rely on others all the time for help. But I nevertheless welcome the help & assistance when it’s offered to me. I manage to amaze & inspire others with my ability of independence.
When I was in Grade 4, I felt ill and my parents brought me to Sick Kids to find out what was wrong with me. Doctors were concerned with 2 possibilities: either my Cancer had come back or I had Meningitis. Tests results confirmed that I had developed Meningitis. My parents were relieved. Unfortunately, though after successfully recovering from my Meningitis battle, I got home, fell ill all over again, went back to Sick Kids, run some more tests again & discovered that I had then come down with the flu. We managed to regain my health just in time for Christmas that year.
I had been going to Sick Kids Hospital starting when I was 18 months old until 2007, when I turned 18 years old; then I was discharged. Ever since my departure, I have been working for Stayner Dairy Queen in May 2008, until my retirement in 2023.
Through Dairy Queen, we proudly support & sponsor Sick Kids Hospital in association with Children’s Miracle Network. Every year, every employee is required to sell CMN Balloons to customers as they take their orders. We ask them to make a donation of $2.00 & the choice of writing their name or any name onto the balloon(s). This happens in the summertime.
Every year, I set myself a goal to sell a certain amount of balloons & raise money as my way of giving back to Sick Kids Hospital for giving me my life back & to help all sick children get their health back as I strongly feel that no child should have to spend the first years of their lives or their Birthdays/Christmases in the hospital. I do it for all the children in the hospital who say to their parents “I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to go home. When am I going to be going home with you, Mommy & Daddy?”.
I do it also for any child that says that they miss their home, their backyard, sleeping in their own bed, their pets, their grandparents, friends, school. To me, children are smart to know that being in the hospital is not fun at all & they want go home & get back to where they know the fun is; At Home. But most of all what are they saying? I wanna live! I’m not done with living yet.
And every year I always manage to reach my goal & surpass it. I go on long walks, knocking on neighbors’ and friends’ doors, local businesses & social events asking for donations for Sick Kids. As well, I participate & help out at golf tournaments associated with Dairy Queen with running the Putting Contest (now called “Ray’s of Light”, in honour of me) & staff members for our annual CMN DAY are required to bake desserts for our bake sales.
All donations made through this link will receive an automated tax receipt via email. CLICK HERE
Because of all that I had done over the past 10 years for Sick Kids, Children’s Miracle Network & Stayner Dairy Queen with my fundraising, that everyone felt it was time to give back to me as their way of saying thank & showing appreciation for all that I’ve done & continue to do. So, on July 26th, 2018 everyone, including my family got together & threw me a surprise where Ace the mascot from the Toronto Blue Jays was present, pulled out a cellphone & put me on speaker with Buck Martinez, who proudly said that I had been chosen by Dairy Queen to come down to the Rogers Center on August 8th, 2018 & throw out the 1st ball for the team. People from CTV New Barrie, Global News & Rock 95 were all there to cover the story.
I was then presented with my own Toronto Blue Jays jersey with my last name on the back & #55 (Russell Martin’s number), a Blue Jays cap, my own baseball glove & ball. An SUV limousine service compliments of DQ Canada came & pick my family & I up on August 7th, & drove us to the Intercontinental Hotel in Toronto.
The following day, officials from the Rogers Center came to meet up with us & we all walked together to the Rogers Center. We were given VIP passes, a tour of the place where we got to see the World Series trophies, the technical trailer where the games are recorded/broadcasted, and got to meet the commentators of Blue Jays Central. I had the honour of stepping down right onto the turf of the baseball field for interviews & to watch the ballplayers warm up. That’s when I got the honour & privilege of meeting Buck Martinez in person. Family members & friends from all over came down to watch my tremendous moment of fame. The place was packed with over 36,000 people there.
The next day, the DQ Canada SUV limousine service drove my family & I home. We got home just in time for me to go to work for Children’s Miracle Network Day. CTV News Barrie came & did a follow-up story to get my reaction from throwing out the 1st ball for the Toronto Blue Jays. To this day, I still get reaction from customers & friends, who come into Dairy Queen or see me out & about saying that they saw me either on TV or at the game.
Hey Community, let’s help Raymond reach his goal of raising $200,000 for Sick Kids!
PLEASE SHARE #communitymatters
All donations made through this link will receive an automated tax receipt via email. CLICK HERE
Merry Christmas Everyone – Love Raymond
