NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) — I want to introduce you to the Wong family. Since 1982, Okizu has been helping families just like the Wongs overcome cancer through the power of community. It’s a phrase I like to call “Okizu strong.”
Six-year-old Mabel Wong loves an adventure. Whether it’s her at-home agility course, judo class, or picking cherries out in the wild, the young girl was always active.
Until one day, a wave of exhaustion hit.
“We thought it was a growth thing… we thought maybe she didn’t have enough sleep… it all seemed within the realm of normal childhood stuff,” Tim Wong, Mabel’s father said.
Then at school spirit day, her parents noticed something was off.
“Her eyes were swollen… that was the first sign that something was different,” Tim said.
Shortly after, she spiked a fever.
“So that’s when we took her to the doctor,” Tim said.
After a slew of tests, five days went by and Mabel’s symptoms weren’t improving.
VIDEO: 4-year-old overcomes rare form of leukemia with support of CA camp for kids facing cancer
Camp Okizu is a non-profit dedicated to supporting children and families affected by childhood cancer, including 4-year-old Beckett Boznanski.
“That was a very painful moment,” Tim said.
Their 6-year-old was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer – acute myeloid leukemia or AML.
“I really felt like I had an out-of-body experience… I really felt like I floated out of my own body. And was watching these people talk, and not feeling like it was my life,” Linda Yang, Mabel’s mother said.
Mabel had to be admitted and treated immediately at UCSF. Linda and Tim went from thinking about family dinner to facing questions about blood transfusions and clinical trials.
“So really in those moments, so your whole world… everything you know seems to shift,” Linda said.
From then on, their home became the hospital.
“Her line is attached to her, and the line is attached to all the medicine… so she has a pole, sort of like best buddy for the next seven or eight months – it’s inseparable from her. You don’t realize when you take her to surgery – that that’s the last time she’ll be independent,” Linda said.
Mabel’s 4-year-old sister Sammy said, “Well… I didn’t get to see her much.”
They cherished the rare moments together. “When I visit her… I would think… it might be my only time with her,” Sammy said.
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For years, the family tried to hold onto any semblance of normalcy.
“It can be very isolating, this experience…” Tim said.
And Mabel didn’t give up. Through holidays in the hospital, she kept fighting, and finding strength through music.
Then two years later, in January of 2022, with the support of her doctors and nurses, the 8-year-old rang the bell.
She survived. And could finally go home.
“We sort of turned the corner in the hallway and all these nurses, her doctors were there, gathered, and they had made a poster,” Linda said.
While the family grappled with what life would be like in remission, around that same hallway another poster could be seen with the words “Okizu.”
“I don’t think we had any idea the kind of impact it would have,” Linda said.
In the years that followed, Mabel and her family attended Camp Okizu.
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“It’s a camp for kids and their families who went through cancer,” Mabel said.
It gave her strength and healing.
“It was nice to see other people that were like me,” Mabel said.
A safe space for siblings, the silent warriors.
“I can talk to anyone there about it, if I have to,” Mabel’s sister Sammy said.
All through the power of community.
“I feel like there’s a burden I can put down for a moment. And be present with my self, my family and everyone around you… you don’t have to worry,” Tim said.
“You know, everyone can breathe… and feel a little easier and I think the girls do feel that… and I see that,” Linda said.
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Over the years, the girls spent their summers at Family Camp and Oncology Camp, bonding from the water to campfires, climbing and painting; finding hope through music, and wisdom from the counselors.
“One of the magical things about Okizu are the counselors… they’re anywhere from 18, 20s or 30s and they’ve been touched by cancer themselves,” Linda said.
It taught lessons of perseverance.
“If one of us gets sick… we’ll storm through it as a family… we’ll get through it,” Sammy said.
After all, “Okizu” means unity.
“It’s like a second home,” Mabel said.
And it’s a place where you’ll never be alone.
Camp Okizu’s Berry Creek campus burned down during the North Complex fires in 2020.
The nonprofit has since found a new home that will be built in Calaveras, California.
Every year, hundreds of kids get sent to camp thanks to the generosity of donors at Okizu’s annual Art Inspiring Hope Gala. Tickets are still available for the event coming up on Saturday, March 14. ABC7 is a proud sponsor every year. I’ll be there as emcee – hope to see you there!
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