By paNOW Staff

New child ambassador named for Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital

Jan 25, 2018 | 9:30 AM

An Estevan girl who’s battled cancer most of her young life was recognized for her perseverance and optimism in the face of adversity.

Nine-year-old Payton Sernick was named today as the Saskatchewan children’s ambassador for Walmart’s Champions Program. The program honours children who’ve endured, despite daunting medical challenges. Sernick will act also as an ambassador for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.

“I can be a voice for kids who really need this hospital. I can tell people my story and really hope they understand what it feels like to be in hospital with a serious disease,” she said.

Sernick is back in hospital after battling Stage 4 acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma. She recently had a tumor removed from her stomach, and is awaiting a bone marrow transplant. At only age 6, Sernick had stomach cramps so debilitating she could barely walk. Doctors diagnosed her cancer after realizing her abdomen was riddled with tumors.

Since that time, she has undergone a full year of intensive chemotherapy, and spent almost 200 days in hospital.

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Regardless of her own struggles, Sernick and her brother Beckham began the “The Cancer Sucks Project,” which raised over $35,000 for the Jim Pattison Children’s hospital. Her parents Andrea and Cheyenne said this sort of ambition is something the fourth-grader is known for.

“We adore her determination to get things done: Beat cancer – no problem. Make sure a hospital gets built – she’s on it.”

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow