Diagnosis
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma
Symptoms
Stomach pain
Treatment Plan
Chemotherapy
Aoife (EE-fah) is an Irish name that means “radiant.” Nothing could be more fitting to describe seven-year-old Aoife O’Donnell, a vibrant sprite who skips along with a twinkle in her eye, a ready smile, and a song to share. Like many cancer patients at CHEO, Aoife’s diagnosis was a complete shock for her parents, family and friends. In April 2025, stomach pains led to a visit to the family’s doctor who advised that Aoife be brought to CHEO for an ultrasound. That ultrasound led to a procedure which did not correct the issue, so a CT scan and surgery came next – all in the same day. It was her pediatric surgeon, Dr. Eamer who phoned a week later with the unimaginable news – the pathology report revealed cancer.
In telling this story, Aoife’s parents Rachel and Eamon shake their heads, seemingly at the speed of it all. And of course, a swift diagnosis helps in what surely will be a long journey full of twists, turns, and chilling uncertainty. Rachel O’Donnell speaks of scans and tests and blood work completed in just a week and a half. A true whirlwind that became the beginning of a treatment plan for diffuse large B cell lymphoma and took Aoife from a mysterious tummy pain to chemotherapy treatment in one month. Yet instead of a path of destruction in this whirlwind’s wake, there was a positive prognosis. Dr. Lesleigh Abbott, the lead oncologist on Aoife’s case had the caution of a seasoned clinician but was able to share that there was every reason to believe the path followed would succeed in freeing Aoife from cancer. This was more than optimism for the family, it was a confident feeling that both Rachel and Eamon describe as, “knowing CHEO would give the best treatment, and that she’d be okay.”
This is not to say that the process was not a labyrinth of medical information, scheduling, and planning. Yet this family speaks glowingly and gratefully about how the team at CHEO lessened the stresses. Rachel says, “it was all planned out, and decisions were made for us, it would have been so much harder without that. It was all done for us.” While the medical expertise at CHEO can take credit for this well-tuned process, this close-knit family had a lot to do with it in their own way. Aoife comes from a family whose happy demeanor infuses so much of this story. While in hospital the most mundane things became a game, the monitors singing “meep moop” and the changing and sometimes unstable IV poles creating a weekly watch to see if it would be a “good wheelie” week or would Aoife weave and shimmy down the halls. There is a way to find your fun anywhere, and this family made that a part of their path at CHEO.
That joy is part of CHEO’s unique pediatric focus and offers ways for donors to connect with the children, youth and families while they go through treatment. Services offered and supported by donors include Zedd, CHEO’s therapeutic clown, the playrooms which gave Aoife somewhere to go to change her horizons during a stay in hospital, and the crafts and games enjoyed by this family and many others. Donors are also able to meet some of the concrete needs that arise when a family has a child in active treatment, such as parking passes and tutors which can help families like the O’Donnells manage things like the logistics of schoolwork and the many back-and-forth trips to CHEO. These supports helped give Aoife’s parents a little more time to spend with her as well as her brother, Cian and sister, Fiona. It’s an acknowledgment that the day-to-day realities of family life go on for the patient and their caregivers.
On November 16, 2025, Aoife rang the bell at CHEO signifying the end of her treatment. With her family around her, her pixie hairstyle, and her vibrant energy she proved that cancer may have come uninvited, but it will leave on her terms – joyous. Aoife’s parents describe her as “happy go lucky” and while they agree she is one to go with the flow, her father shares that, “she’s a tough cookie.” Rachel hopes her daughter “won’t remember much” of the chemotherapy and the time as an in-patient. But with her ability to see fun wherever she goes, Aoife will likely keep her good humour, and her courage with her no matter what the future holds. As she said about losing her hair, and it seems to sum Aoife up if that is at all possible, “I’m not afraid anymore.”
Join Aoife and her family in supporting the biggest annual fundraiser for cancer care and research at CHEO – the CN Cycle for CHEO. Aoife is part of the 2026 McDonald’s Dream Team proudly representing all the oncology patients at CHEO.
Stories of the 2026 McDonald’s Dream Team
Silas
