Antonia’s journey in childhood cancer advocacy began in 2009, when her two-year-old son was diagnosed with stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma. Since then, she has become a tireless advocate for children with cancer and their families.

She is the co-founder of the Advocacy for Canadian Childhood Oncology Research Network (Ac2orn) and founder of Neuroblastoma Canada.  Antonia is on the Board of Directors for Cancer Research Society and BioCanRx, and on the Scientific Steering Committee for ACCELERATE.  She plays an active role in New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT), the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN), and the ACCESS Consortium.  Antonia is a patient partner on a number of pediatric oncology clinical trials and an active volunteer on numerous cancer-focused initiatives across Canada and internationally.

Antonia is a published author and has co-authored two advocate-only articles in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Pediatric Blood & Cancer, exploring critical issues for the childhood cancer community.

Her passion for making a difference extends beyond research advocacy into community-based initiatives and philanthropy. She champions meaningful, respectful partnerships to build innovative, high-impact programs such as the Youth Mental Health Grant and the Kindred Cares grant for palliative and hospice care. She also volunteers regularly with Kindred charity partners such as Weston Area Emergency Support.

Antonia holds a master’s degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband Aaron and their three wonderful sons—Nate, Alex, and Jonathan—who fill her heart with pride and love every day. Whenever she can, Antonia enjoys running (on roads and trails), being outdoors, and nurturing her growing love of cycling.

Please email Antonia if you have any questions or comments about Kindred Foundation.

Leah has been involved in the cancer research field since 2017. This began with laboratory work, which progressed into an Honours thesis at Queen’s University and a Master’s degree from the University of Ottawa. This was followed by clinical research experience aimed at improving oncological outcomes and perioperative procedures.

Leah has always enjoyed volunteering for different organizations and participating in community support initiatives. In her spare time Leah keeps active through a variety of sports including skiing, running, biking, soccer and skating. Food has always been one of Leah's biggest passions so she loves spending time cooking, baking and trying new restaurants. While travelling, she enjoys learning about different ways of life, trying new cuisines and hiking.

At Kindred Foundation, Leah gets to combine and expand her experience and interests to help make a difference for organizations and individuals across Canada.

Please email Leah if you have any questions or comments about Kindred Foundation's programs and grants.