Community rallies around Make-A-Wish volunteer and stepdaughter fighting cancer

Guelph’s Karl Dovick has been called a hero for his efforts to help grant wishes for ill children. Now his stepdaughter is battling cancer.

Dovick’s four-year-old stepdaughter Autumn was diagnosed with stage four metastatic neuroblastoma in February 2022.

“They told us it spread to her lymph nodes, to her bone marrow, to her sternum, her hips,” Dovick said. “Recently after doing some scans they told us that it also went to her skull.”

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Autumn will spend the next 18 to 24 months enduring chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and immunotherapy after she goes back to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto next week.

“They sat us down, the four of us parents,” Dovick said. “[We] just cried it out and hugged it out and said from the get-go, we’re going to fight this – all of us.”

Dovick works for WestJet and volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Staff with Make-A-Wish said Dovick would often go above and beyond to help grant the wishes of the sick children on his flights.

“What Karl did to enhance the lives of those wish kids, he also enhanced the lives of so many other people as well,” said Stuart Chase of Make-A-Wish Canada.

In 2019, Make-A-Wish and WestJet surprised him by bringing back all the Make-A-Wish people he’d helped to recognize Dovick’s efforts and put together a video to show their appreciation.

“People use the word irony. It’s not even Ironic at this point it’s just disbelief,” admitted Dovick.

Dovick said the families he has helped are doing the same for him.

“They’re the first ones to know what to ask you know,” he said. “What to say that won’t make you burst into tears.”

The community is also helping his family by donating to an online fundraising campaign his neighbour started. In just over a week it reached more than $20,000.

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“There’s been private donations in the amount of $1,500,” said neighbour Ian Baker whose mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021.

Baker said he is grateful many people are stepping up to donate and added that every dollar counts.

“No parent should have to be like ‘should I choose my house or choose my kid’” said Baker.

Dovick said strangers have been coming by and dropping off toys and gifts.

“The love and care and support for our family has been overwhelming to say the least,” said Dovick.

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Make-A-Wish said Dovick deserves all the support.

“If she wants to have a wish granted, you know we will be there for her,” said Chase.

Dovck said the family is counting on hope and positivity to get by.

“We’re trying our best every day to stay courageous,” he said.