A local family is asking for prayers for their daughter after learning what they thought was a sore leg turned out to be stage 4 bone cancer.

"On February 19 during the day she couldn't get out of her desk at school because her leg was sore," says Joyce Perreault, Phoenix's mother. That day everything changed for the family.

Back in December Perreault says her daughter fell at school. After an x-ray at the doctors showed nothing, not a broken leg or a sprain, Phoenix went back to normal, although she had a limp. 

"We thought it was growing pains because she's 5'11 and 14 years-old," she says. 

The scans at the hospital that day showed it was much more serious than they could have anticipated. 

"They found that she had cancer on her femur."

Phoenix was diagnosed with stage 4 Osteo Sarcoma, the same cancer that took Terry Fox's leg, and eventually his life. 

"Her femur was pretty much eaten up by the cancer already. We took her home for one night and her bone broke in half after she twitched the wrong way playing a game in bed."

Phoenix has been in the Children's Hospital since that time and on March 11, after trying to stretch her leg and other medical procedures, the doctors said they would have to amputate.

"They amputated her leg and found that the cancer has spread to her spine and her rib. The doctor is coming on Thursday to ask her if she wants a mild chemo which will shorten her life span, or if she wants aggressive chemo so she can fight a little bit longer."

The Perreault family is asking for prayers over their daughter at this time.

"We're just reaching out to ask the saints of God to pray with us and to believe. I believe in the power of prayer and that God hears our prayers," Perreault says through tears. "The journey is going to be long but I know God is going to be with us all the way."

Perreault is an Ojibwe teacher at Sergeant Tommy Prince School but since this all happened she has had to quit her job to be with her daughter at the hospital. This also means that they don't have health insurance anymore. 

"There's been a lot of people reaching out to us. I just want prayer, that the Lord is going to be with her and us on this journey."

Visitation has also been limited because of the pandemic, making the situation even harder for the family. However, Perreault says her husband Daniel has been very supportive throughout all of this as well.

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