A super day for Super Alyx and family

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Published on Tuesday, July 19, 2016

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner

When it mattered most, the people of Neepawa stepped up to support a local family in their effort to assist CancerCare Manitoba and Ronald McDonald House. Just under 200 people participated in some or all of the festivities surrounding the Super Alyx Golf Tournament and Dinner, which were held on Saturday, July 16. 

The day, which was put together by the Delaloye family, featured a round of golf at the Neepawa Golf and Country Club, followed by dinner and a rainbow auction at the Yellowhead Hall. All of the proceeds raised from the festivities are going directly to Ronald McDonald House and Cancer Care (Pediatric) Manitoba. 

For the Delaloye family, they know all too well the emotional difficulty that can be part of dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment. Over the past few years, they have had to travel from Neepawa to Winnipeg on a regular basis for their daughter Alyx’s leukemia treatment. Alyx’s father, Reg Delaloye, said that because of the way Ronald McDonald House and those connected with the group have treated them throughout the entire ordeal, they felt doing something to give back was very important. He added that they were very pleased with how everything turned out. 

Reg & Alyx Delaloye.

“The turnout has been really good and we’re very happy with how things have gone. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for golf. The turnout was pretty good and just a big thanks to Landon Cameron and everyone else at the Neepawa Golf Club for everything they did to make it a fun outing,” noted Delaloye. “As for [the dinner and auction], up until about five minutes before the dinner, I stopped worrying [about the attendance]. You’re concerned about whether you’ll have enough people, or if you’ll run out of food or have too much. This being the first time we’ve attempted something like this, we didn’t have a clue on what to expect [said with a chuckle]. But we’re very pleased with the way it all turned out. The response from Neepawa, the surrounding area and even as far away as Winnipeg, has just been great.”

Ronald McDonald House serves as a place to stay for families of hospitalized children, who must travel an extended distance to receive treatment. They provide a place for family members to rest, wash clothes, take a shower, or nap near the vicinity of their child, without dealing with the additional cost and stress of booking hotel rooms.

Wendy Galagan, who is the chief executive officer for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Manitoba, was in attendance for the dinner. She said being a part of the festivities and just being able to support these types of families in general, is an honour.

“Every single family that comes through our doors is a special and unique family. But, for the Delaloyes to come together like this, while they are still in their journey of healing, to come together and to give back to families who are currently going through that as well, it’s inspiring. Every single day that [the staff at Ronald McDonald House] can be there for families and be inspired by them is incredible,” said Galagan. As for tonight, it’s really great to see a rural community, such as Neepawa, come together and to recognize the support that we’re giving to families. And to see a community come together and help the Delaloye family, by supporting them in this event, says a lot.”

After the dinner commenced, an auction was held, featuring many valuable items donated from the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, of the National Hockey League, as well as Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals. Reg Delaloye said the amount of support they received was an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise.

Alyx Delaloye models one of the items that was up for auction, a donation from NHL linesmen Ryan Galloway (in white). 

“Since this all began, we’ve made lots of contacts and met some very fantastic people. Everyone we have reached out to has been more than willing to help out and have asked if they could do more. With all the NHL clubs from [the United States of America] and for the Cardinals, to come through like they did for a family from a small town in Canada, you couldn’t ask for anything more than that. The same with the Jets, whose staff, players and management have been wonderful and supportive of us,” stressed Delaloye. “As a family, we feel very happy that this all came together and enabled us to do something like this, as a means to give back [to CancerCare and Ronald McDonald House].”

As for the prognosis of young Alyx, things are looking good, as she is in remission. There will still be several months for the family however, of travelling back and forth to Winnipeg for the final stages of treatment. Delaloye said they’re thankful for being nearly finished the treatment, but will still have concerns in the back of their mind moving ahead.

“While, we do have only a few more months to go and Alyx doesn’t even look sick anymore, there are still struggles from time to time. [As a parent], you’ll always worry with that,” noted Delaloye. “It’s just great to know that the people who are connected to Ronald McDonald House and CancerCare Manitoba are out there and are providing the type of support that they do.”

Editor's note: As of the publication deadline, the exact fundraising numbers are still being tabulated. Once those results are official, the Neepawa Press will provide those details.