Precious time for dreams big and small, thanks to blood donors

Published: November 4, 2024

Child blood recipient holding ice cream, smiling and pointing at photographer

Blood donations gave Penn time for everything on her bucket list, from ‘eat ice cream’ to ‘visit Disneyland’

When you donate blood, you never know what it will mean to the recipient. It could bring them back from the brink of death after a car crash. It could help them live a normal life in spite of a rare immune disorder. For someone in the middle of treatment for leukemia, it could mean a holiday at home instead of in hospital.

For Penn Manabat, a pre-schooler in Calgary, Alta., blood donations meant time. Specifically, time to check off every experience on a bucket list she created herself — from eating chips, to throwing rocks in the river, to visiting Disneyland. Time to keep growing into her nickname “Penn the brave.” And time to inspire many, many people, including those who now donate blood in her memory.

Older sister with hands on younger sister’s shoulders as they stand in a kitchen — *Penn, left, with her sister Paige, loved to help her family cook.*

Child blood recipient standing on rocky shore of lake, arms crossed and smiling — *The support of blood donors helped Penn have many adventures with her family.*

A sudden and frightening discovery of cancer

In April 2021, Penn was a couple of months shy of her fourth birthday when she began complaining that her hips and arms hurt. At first, her mother, Catherine Gulinao, suspected growing pains, since Penn had just been through a big growth spurt. But when the pain came back a few weeks later, she talked to a doctor who recommended blood tests.

Before they could have those tests done, Penn’s pain worsened, and Catherine also noticed she had a bit of a tremor in her right hand. So early on a Friday morning, they headed to the emergency room of the nearest children’s hospital, where a doctor was concerned enough to order a CT scan.

“I”ll never forget, the CT scan wasn’t even complete, and the emergency doctor rushed out of the room,” Catherine says. “I knew it was bad.”

The scan showed a very large tumour in Penn’s brain, a shocking discovery given her few symptoms. Doctors debated whether to do surgery immediately before deciding it could be safely postponed until Monday.

‘Mommy, I’m brave’

The surgery, called a craniotomy, came with many risks, but in the end it was a huge success. Writing on her personal blog later, Catherine said that not only was it done “in record time,” but Penn stunned everyone by sticking out her tongue and blinking her eyes on command almost immediately afterward.

Mother standing over hospital bed with smiling child — *Penn and her mother Catherine in hospital after Penn’s first brain surgery*

“When Penn said, “Mommy, I’m brave, and come here I wanted to give you a kiss and a hug,” there wasn’t a dry eye in the ICU room,” wrote Catherine.

“And that’s how we decided what our blog was going to be called.  When we’re ready to share our story, it will be called Penn the brave.” 

A bucket list takes shape

In the weeks that followed, the entire family’s strength and bravery were tested. They were devastated when analysis of Penn’s tumour showed it was cancerous. Further tests followed to confirm a diagnosis.

It was during that anxious wait for results that Catherine and her husband, Sheldon, had Penn and her older sister Paige make up a list of fun things to do. It included “go to the playground” “eat ice cream,” “blow bubbles” and more. And they started doing them as a family.

“Penn was very much an old soul, and very much like me, in that she loved lists and she loved to check things off the list,” says Catherine. “When she got sick, my husband and I recognized it wasn’t about us anymore. It wasn’t about what we wanted for her; it was about what she wanted for herself.”

Child in stroller with ice cream cone with blue ice cream, father crouched beside her with matching cone — *Penn with her dad, Sheldon, enjoying ice cream, a bucket list item Penn was happy to repeat many times.*

Child standing in yard with bubble wand and bottle of bubble solution — *‘Blow bubbles’ was another item on Penn’s bucket list.*

Child sitting on frog-shaped riding toy at playground — *Penn on a visit to a playground.*

Blood donors support a second critical surgery

It was only a month after Penn’s first surgery when the family received more shocking news. First, Penn’s cancer was definitively diagnosed as ependymoma. This actually came as a relief, since the preliminary assessment had been a much deadlier illness called glioblastoma.

It looked as if Penn’s next step would be radiation treatment. But an MRI showed that in the five short weeks since her operation, her tumour had already grown back, even deeper in the brain than before.

So within days of that MRI, Penn was back on the operating table for a second craniotomy. That’s when she received blood — multiple transfusions, to replace two litres she lost.

‘We would have lost Penn right on the operating table without blood donations’

Those blood transfusions were the only ones Penn received during her cancer journey, but they were pivotal.

“We would have lost Penn right on the operating table without blood donations,” Catherine says.

Because of those donors, they returned home after surgery an intact family of four, and Penn soon added more items to her bucket list: Go to the mountains. Go camping. See a whale. Visit a piggie at a farm. See a shark. Go to Disneyland.

Child standing outside farm enclosure with two pigs visible — *‘Visit a piggie at a farm’ was a bucket list experience for Penn.*

Family life revolved around that list, starting with Penn’s weekends off from radiation treatment. By mid-August, when she rang the bell to mark the end of her 33 treatment sessions, she had already visited some piglets and joined her family on a 50-kilometre round trip bike ride from the town of Banff to Johnston Canyon. Some bucket list items, like “eat ice cream,” were accomplished many times over.

When treatment ended, the family spent more time in the mountains and crossed “go camping” off the list. Soon after, they began planning a trip to Vancouver Island, praying that wildfires or a spike in COVID cases would not interfere. They made it, and Penn got to see her whale.

Whale’s tale visible in water in front of boat in the distance — *Penn was delighted to see this whale during her family’s trip to Vancouver island.*

Blood recipient and her sister in camp chairs inside a tent, reading books — *Penn was also able to check ‘go camping’ off her bucket list.*

In fact, after radiation treatments ended, Penn enjoyed another seven months with her loved ones before a scan in March 2022 showed the cancer had returned. This time, there was no hope of a cure, but her family was determined to keep making memories with her as long as they could.

They did it with help from friends and family. Penn’s godparents helped deliver her second-last bucket list item, “see a shark,” by reaching out to an aquarium in Toronto. Staff there made Penn a special video with behind-the-scenes shark footage.

A last magical family vacation

Child in stroller waving to Mickey Mouse, with family members looking on — *Penn with her family meeting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.*

The last item on Penn’s bucket list was “Go to Disneyland.” With COVID restrictions and her declining health, the family didn’t know if they’d make it. But in June, with help from a children’s charity, they spent seven magical days at Disney World in Florida.

Mother cradling child on lap during ride to an attraction at a Disney theme park — *Penn’s mother Catherine holding her on a trip to the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida.*

Penn was especially excited to meet Cinderella. While she stayed in her stroller to meet the other princesses, she asked her dad to lift her out to meet this one. As they settled in side by side, she reached out to hold Cinderella’s hand.

Cinderella character at Disney World holds the hand of a child cradled in her father’s arms, while the child’s mother looks on and her sister holds Cinderella’s other hand. — *Penn and her sister Paige held hands with Cinderella during their trip to Disney World.*

Honouring Penn through blood donation and more

Since Penn’s passing on June 21, 2022, the family has continued to honour her in so many ways. “Pen’sDay,” a tradition of Wednesday dinners with Penn’s aunts and uncles that started when she got sick, continues. They’ve also found it healing to keep travelling as a family, having the sorts of adventures they know Penn would have loved.

They have thrown themselves into helping others, too. Catherine started a charitable organization to support other families impacted by a cancer diagnosis. It funds research as well as the things Penn loved best in her last 14 months: storybooks for children going through cancer treatment, and ice cream for their families from her favourite Calgary shop.

Child dressed in Cinderella costume holds her father’s hand near hospital revolving door — Penn dressed up as a princess for one of her visits to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, Alta. Her family now helps to provide small comforts to other children and their families going through cancer treatment.

The family also began rallying others to donate blood, by starting a new Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life team called Penn the Brave. Partners for Life teams are a simple way to bring people together to donate, spread awareness, or support Canada’s Lifeline through financial giving.

Anyone can start a team, and those who join it (via the donor portal or in the GiveBlood app) can have upcoming donations counted toward the team’s collective impact. It’s an incredible way to support our efforts to build the bigger and more diverse donor base we need to support all patients into the future.

Partners for Life team champions can also organize group donations at Canadian Blood Services donor centres. Catherine organized the first Penn the Brave donation event in October 2023, with a special guest in attendance: baby Printze, who joined the Manabat family the previous May. Catherine and Sheldon had talked to their girls about growing their family before Penn became ill, and becoming a big sister had been a “secret bucket list” item known only to her parents and Paige.

In September, Catherine and Sheldon also joined several other families affected by childhood cancer for a major donation event in Calgary.

Parents of children affected by cancer hold photos of their children at Canadian Blood Services blood donation event. — *Penn’s parents Sheldon and Catherine, left, joined other families affected by childhood cancer at a blood donation event in Calgary in September 2024.*

“Donating blood is a privilege I am honoured to have, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can. I know Penn would be incredibly proud, recognizing the courage it takes for me to face my fear of needles,” says Catherine. “I do it for her and for all those who might need blood products in the future.

"I urge everyone who can donate to step forward, and if you’re between 17 and 35, to consider joining the stem cell registry as well,” she adds. “You might help save a life, or give someone precious time with the people they love.”