Ten-year-old Ollie Acosta-Pickering and his 14-year-old sister, Abby, started attending Ottawa Heroes Circle classes online two years ago with Sensei Lyne and Sensei Cody.
After being diagnosed in 2019 with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, Ollie relapsed twice, went blind, and in July 2020 needed a stem cell transplant with Abby’s cells. Just getting home from Toronto after the transplant and still in a wheelchair, Ollie joined his first Heroes Circle class. With the help of Kids Kicking Cancer, Ollie progressed quickly, getting stronger and more agile each week.
Within a couple of months, he was out of the wheelchair and getting around with a mobility cane. He learned Power Breathing to manage his anxiety and pain and uses the breathing techniques to make medical procedures easier. Ollie is back to school and is doing fantastic. He also does a lot of public speaking to raise awareness about childhood cancer and Kids Kicking Cancer Canada. He recently earned his yellow-orange belt and is a confident Powerful Martial Artist who is teaching the world!