SASKATOON — At just six years old, Naomi Lendvay and her family received devastating news after she was diagnosed with stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that forms in soft tissues and can affect children and teens. A doctor informed her family that she had 12 months to live after she underwent her first round of chemotherapy.
This news would be unimaginable for any family, let alone for a child to learn. Lendvay and her family marked the beginning of a battle that would shape the rest of their lives. That 12-month period, however, turned into another year, and another, until she finished high school and is now preparing to pursue a dental hygiene degree at the University of Saskatchewan.
Years later, not only is she alive, but she has become a symbol of hope for children facing cancer and their families. This decades-long journey recently earned her the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. She learned she had received the honour after missing a phone call while at work. Unsure whether the call was good news or bad, she returned it later and was stunned by what she heard.
The award recognizes young Canadians whose humanitarian work reflects the values and legacy of the late Terry Fox. Lendvay was selected from thousands of applicants nationwide after a rigorous interview process that narrowed the field to a small group of recipients.
The recognition is rooted in a story that many doctors still struggle to explain. After her grim prognosis, Lendvay was placed on temsirolimus, a drug intended to extend life rather than cure cancer. Instead, it did something extraordinary.
“They told me that I had won, and that was just such a wow moment. There are so few people across Canada who get it. It was incredible. That drug was supposed to give me my full 12 months. But for some reason, it ended up killing my cancer, and they don’t know why,” she said.
Doctors continue to study her case, collecting DNA samples in hopes of understanding why the treatment succeeded when survival was considered virtually impossible, something she describes as nothing short of a miracle. Surviving cancer changed her outlook on life. When she faced, at an early age, the possibility that her time might be limited, she decided to make every moment count.
That determination inspired the creation of Team Naomi Get Well Now, a foundation whose name emerged during one of her hospital stays. Surrounded by balloons wishing her to “get well soon,” she remembers turning to her mother with a different idea.
“I’m not the only one in my situation who has survived longer than expected, which is a miracle. There have been other kids in my situation. I knew I wanted to take what time I had left and make a difference. I told my mom, ‘I don’t want to get well soon. I want to get well now.’ That’s where the name was formed,” said Lendvay.
What began as a childhood declaration has grown into a significant fundraising and awareness campaign. Through golf tournaments, community events and merchandise sales, Team Naomi has raised more than $350,000 for childhood cancer research and awareness initiatives.
Lendvay said the foundation's purpose extends beyond fundraising. She hopes her story offers encouragement to families navigating diagnoses that can feel overwhelming and isolating. She wants to be a symbol of hope for others, showing there is a chance and, even if the inevitable happens, they are not alone.
One memory continues to drive her advocacy. After surviving cancer, she met another young girl facing a similar diagnosis. While that child later passed away, Lendvay said the opportunity to provide comfort and hope to the girl and her family reinforced the importance of sharing her story.
She added that the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award serves as both recognition and motivation. Rather than viewing it as a culmination of her work, she sees it as encouragement to continue expanding her humanitarian efforts and the work that is important to her as she advocates for childhood cancer awareness.
As she looks ahead, Lendvay intends to keep organizing fundraisers, raising awareness and using her remarkable story to help others. From a child once given a year to live to a national humanitarian award recipient, she has transformed unimaginable adversity into a mission of hope, proving that survival can be about much more than beating the odds — it can be about changing lives.
