January Update:

We're deeply saddened to share that Francis lost his battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully on Sunday January 3 with his family by his side. As shared on his GoFundMe page: "He fought so hard this past year, for himself and for his family. His spirit will live on in Félix, Oscar, and Zella, and in the memories we carry and the stories we tell. Given his sense of humour and sense of adventure, there is no shortage of wonderful memories and stories to share."

Thank you to those who provide support already. Funds will be used to cover medical bills, funeral arrangements, and to support Adeline and the kids. 

Please see their GoFundMe page for the full update, and to contribute if you feel called. 

A former member of the VUL community urgently needs our help. Please consider supporting him and his family if you can, even with a small contribution.

Francis Grenier is well-loved by many members of our community. He was a very active VUL member from 2006-2013, playing on BBQ and many other teams with his wife Adeline. They moved to Ottawa and later, in 2014, to Denmark where they had two children before returning to the Pacific Northwest in 2019 to live in Seattle.

In the fall of 2019, Francis was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). The family moved back to Vancouver in early 2020, just in time for the birth of their third child. Here, he underwent chemotherapy and then a stem cell transplant in May. 

As you can read on their GoFundMe page, the family received the joyful news of remission 100 days after the transplant, but their happiness was short-lived when the cancer returned only two months later. Francis has begun additional chemo treatments, but these are only expected to give him more time with his family - months, instead of weeks. They learned that there are no remaining treatment options for Francis available in Canada, and so the couple have set their hopes on a clinical trial and another transplant back in Seattle.

The experimental procedure is an expensive one, costing up to $300,000. If you’d like to support Francis and his family, a GoFundMe page has been set up where any contribution, large or small, would be appreciated. If he is unable to reach the goal of a second transplant, any money raised through the GoFundMe page will go toward supporting Adeline and their children.

Please read Francis’ story here and learn how you can help.