Two year old Mavrik Turnbull has been diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma, and has been in the BC Children's Hospital since

By Tommy Osborne

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Nov 21, 2024 | 5:04 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It’s news no parent ever wants to hear, but the unfortunate reality for one local family. The Turnbull family learned in late October that their two-year-old son Mavrik has high-risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer that requires intensive treatment.

“You get all the stages: shock, disbelief, grief, frustration. (You think) ‘why didn’t I catch this sooner?’ You start going back on all the thoughts of, ‘oh, well, if I caught this sooner, it would have made a difference. You beat yourself up over it,” said Mavrik’s father Derek Turnbull when describing his initial thoughts on learning the news.

Following the diagnosis Mavrik has since been staying in the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, where Derek has been constantly visiting amid continuing to work in Prince George. While the situation is incredibly challenging, Derek says he’s been focusing on staying positive.

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“You’ve got a little guy there that doesn’t know what’s going on. He just knows that he’s not feeling well. So to take the weight from him, you have to take it and be as positive as possible,” Derek said.

“You just have to find it. Whether that’s continuing to try and do some things that you enjoy, or just talking with family,” he continued.

Once the community heard of Mavrik’s story, the response has been incredibly strong. As of November 21 a GoFundMe more than $43,000, and both Prince George Carl’s Jr. locations are planning a fundraise on November 23, where a portion of all sales will be donated to the Turnbull family.

“Right now it’s hard for them, and you don’t need them to worry about money at this point. I know there’s a lot weighing on them at this time, but we’re here to help them and get them through it,” said Carls Jr. owner Kim Gill.

Having kids of her own, Gill added she understands how hard it is raising kids in general, and the pain of having one of your children battle through cancer is unimaginable to many.

“I understand the challenges of raising kids and how hard it can be. And then you throw in something like cancer and parents will have to stop everything and go look after their baby and whatever it is that they need to do. Travel, everything, it costs more, so I thought, why not try and do a fundraiser for them?” Gill added.

As for the Turnbull family, Derek says he could have never imaged this strong community support, and says it’s “a huge load off” and he’s incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed.

“Mavrik will get out of this and I can’t wait for when he’s finally back, to be able to start doing something for other people that are going through similar things and trying to support and give back to what we’ve been given,” Derek said.

As for what advice he would have for others who may be going through a similar situation, he said keeping a strong support network and allowing yourself to process what’s happening is key.

“Stay strong. You’re always going to have bad days. It’s okay to feel upset, it’s okay to feel sad. Don’t let it get to you as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to people when you need help. Whether it’s small things, large things, just know that you’re not alone and you have people there with you to try and get you and your family through this,” Derek said.

The fundraiser for Mavrik will take place at both Carl’s Jr. locations in Prince George all day on November 23.

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