When you've been through two rounds of chemotherapy and you're only 14, your first thought might not be giving back to the hospital where you spent so much uncomfortable time.
You might, for example, be thinking about the latest video game or what goodies Santa might put under the tree this Christmas.
But if you are Jordan Ulmer, and were told less than a year ago that the exhaustive rounds of chemotherapy and surgery worked and your brain tumor has not returned, you might take the larger view.
You might think, not so much about yourself, but about all those other kids who are still in the midst of their surgeries or treatments.
You might think of them and what they are going through.
For Ulmer, who has started a Christmas toy drive to replenish the treasure trunk in BC Children's Hospital's Oncology clinic, giving back is just a good thing to do.
From now through Sunday, Dec. 13, he'll be collecting toys and delivering them to the hospital so sick kids there get the same experience of picking out a favorite toy during their treatment like he did.
"It was something you could look forward when you went to chemotherapy, at the end you could get something you liked," said Ulmer, whose last round of treatment took place when he was 12, about two years ago.
Ulmer, a Burnaby Mountain secondary school student, has been in and out of BC Children's Hospital since he was four years old and always appreciated the staff and the toys in the treasure box even while his treatment was going on.
"He helped himself many times to treasure trunk toys during the years he spent getting chemo treatments. And it was always something that made him smile after a not-so-smiley time," says his mom, Rosa Livingstone.
If he can collect 300 toys for boys and girls aged 2 to 16 to fill up the treasure box, Ulmer says, he will have met his goal. "It's just the right thing to do."
• The Coquitlam drop off is Cyclone Taylor Sports, at 1020 Austin Ave. in Coquitlam. The toys must be new and unwrapped, and on the smaller size to fit in the trunk. Among the recommended toys are Hot Wheels sets, Barbie dolls, stuffed animals and Webkins with the price tag still intact, board games for children and teens, card games, action figures, Minion merchandise, small Lego kits, videos and music CDs.
