Loss of son spurs Sask. couple to raise $1.5M for cancer-fighting efforts

Janani Whitfield · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

CBC's virtual roadworthy travel series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems crossed Saskatchewan. Reporter Janani Whitfield deed the roadworthy to Yorkton successful hunt of inspiring stories of assemblage spirit. This is the third story successful a three-part bid from that community.

In their darkest times arsenic a family, the Ottenbreits person held connected to a saying. It helped them done the nonaccomplishment of their kid to cancer, and successful their enactment to rally radical in Yorkton, Sask., and beyond to articulation them successful a combat against the insidious disease.

Greg Ottenbreit remembers its origin well. He was looking astatine his lad Brayden, sedated connected a gurney successful a infirmary and waiting for a scan. Brayden was 3 years aged erstwhile helium was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma, the crab that would aboriginal assertion his young life.

"You ever spell to a acheronian place. In my mind, I had his ceremonial 10 times," Greg said, turning to look astatine his wife, Leone. "And that's erstwhile Leone says, 'You cognize what, nary substance what happens, we've got to take to beryllium better, not bitter…. No substance what happens, we've gotta marque a conscious effort. This isn't gonna teardrop america isolated and our household apart.'"

At the time, they didn't cognize what laic up — the grief that comes from losing a kid and the strain it tin enactment connected a family. They besides didn't cognize his decease would thrust them to commencement an lawsuit that's inactive going beardown and has raised more than $1.5 cardinal for crab probe and enactment initiatives.

In 1998, household and friends shaved their heads successful solidarity with Brayden, with the section Kinsman Club encouraging them, and raised $14,000. The lawsuit stuck, gaining adjacent much enactment from the assemblage aft Brayden's decease successful February 2000. 

"When you suffer a child, it's like, what are you going to bash with that? Myself, what I wanted to bash was curl up successful the corner," Leone said.

When she sees radical benefiting from their fundraising efforts, she feels driven to continue.

"It really puts a intent to our pain."

Read more from our Land of Living Stories bid from Yorkton here: 

Beyond the now-annual Brayden Ottenbreit Close Cuts for Cancer event, the mates has helped spur different fundraising events similar pancake breakfasts and blistery canine sales. Greg, a erstwhile Sask. Party MLA, adjacent sported a mullet successful the legislature to rise funds. All the wealth has gone to cancer-related causes, specified arsenic backing household stays astatine the Ronald McDonald location successful Saskatoon, a medically-assisted campy for children who've been affected by crab oregon renovations astatine the Saskatoon Cancer Patient Lodge.

It's each done successful representation of a lad whose parents callback him arsenic "a character," who brought smiles to the infirmary unit by utilizing a squeaky tricycle instead of a wheelchair to get astir the hospital, oregon situation volunteers astatine the crab session to races.

Leone brings up her Facebook illustration to amusement her son's picture, frozen successful the twelvemonth 1999, everlastingly a child, kissing his mother's cheek. It remains her favourite photograph of each time.

"[This] is him hugging maine aft we some shaved our heads. You tin conscionable consciousness the love."

Leone said she knows Brayden would beryllium thrilled with the efforts he's inspired successful his household and crossed the province, astir 3 decades aft his death.

"We're rather definite that he's inactive cheering america connected from eden going, 'Yeah, you guys conscionable support going. This is awesome.'"

It's the bully memories that enactment with them and gives them the spot to enactment different crab patients and their families, Leone said.

"We request to usage what's happened successful our lives to assistance others that are connected the way down us."