Four-year-old boy Kellan Fedirko was visited by dozens upon dozens of cars, trucks and motorcycles last week, a special visit for the young boy who has been receiving treatment for retinoblastoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the eye.
"Our whole street was full," said Kellan's mother, Ember Fedirko who was expecting 10 to 15 cars to show up. "Everyone came with a little toy or gift for Kellan and he just went around with a little bag and did a trick-or-treating thing and we ended up with 60 (toy) cars, a mini car case for travelling, teddies, money. Just anything you could think of, they brought it."
The groups that came to visit Kellan were the Prospectors' Car Club, the Vintage Car Club and Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club and the whole thing was a complete surprise for Kellan, who loves cars.
"He had no idea, he thought we were going out there to watch foxes," Ember said. "He was totally stunned as son as they started coming, my grandpa led the pack and so he pulled into driveway and he was like 'great grandpa's here!' and then it was just car after car."
Ember said she doesn't think she has ever seen Kellan that excited. While touring all of the vehicles that came to visit him, Kellan got to sit on motorcycles, honk horns and see all kinds of unique and antique cars.
Throughout Kellan's treatment, which Ember said is going as well, people have been incredibly supportive to their family with messages of well wishes and support.
Receiving laser, chemo, cryo and other types of treatments for his eye, Kellan and his family have been at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver often since his diagnosis. She said the visit from the vehicle clubs was important to give her family something big.
"It just breaks up the monotony of it all and gives them something big and we can't go to water parks, we can't go to the pool and do fun stuff," she said, due to the chemo, Kellan's immune system needs time to recover. "Stuff like that where we can be outside and they can show up and come to us is pretty huge."
Kellan's cancer was caught very early and because it isn't the genetic type of the condition, it isn't as severe as it could be.
"We caught it in time and it hasn't gone anywhere else. The worst case would be that he loses his eye," Ember said. Kellan can still see out of the eye and they are hoping the treatments all work and it can be saved. Another form of treatment he may receive is a fitted contact lens that delivers radiation directly to the area with the tumour.
Ember said she is incredibly grateful to everyone who showed up for Kellan and to support their family.
"We've had so much support from everyone and what can you ask for other than that."