Strawberries and ice cream event on Saturday at DeVries Fruit Farm
Dan DeVries, of DeVries Fruit Farms in Fenwick, is always on the lookout for worthy community causes to support. When Jen Boyce reached out to him regarding her son’s health, DeVries was happy to pitch in.
“Jen asked if we might be willing to sponsor an event here on the farm, and I responded, ‘Of course!’ The last two years, with Covid, we unfortunately haven't been able to host anything like this. But it’s a very worthy cause.”
Will Boyce is ten years old, and has lived with his parents, Jen and Kevin, and siblings Ben, Kent, and Abrielle, on Sawmill Road in Fenwick since 2008. He was a healthy, active boy who became ill in 2019 with a rare lymphatic disease, and hasn’t fully recovered since. At one point, he contracted pneumonia, and ended up on a ventilator in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Will is currently undergoing a form of chemotherapy at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital.
“Our son has endured several long hospitalizations,” said Jen. “His body's lymphatic system does not work properly, and instead of returning lymph back into the bloodstream, it leaks fluid into his lungs, which hampers his breathing. He has required seven chest tubes in the past two years to drain the fluid, a very painful procedure. Will has had countless bloodwork and biopsies, a bone density scan, 13 echocardiograms, nine MRIs, 19 ultrasounds, and over 100 x-rays. He has seen over 70 doctors, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, and registered dietitians at different hospitals, and has spent 120 days in hospital. His story is not unique to those living with a rare disease.”
The Boyces’ quest is to raise money for Sick Kids Hospital, in particular the vascular anomalies clinic. They are hoping to help fund the establishment of a pediatric lymphatic disease unit, specifically for the care of kids with complex lymphatic anomalies.
A website, Willspower.org, has been created to support the fundraising and awareness foundation the Boyces have created.
There are several lymphatic disease centres in the United States that treat children with complex lymphatic anomalies, but none in Canada.
On June 18, the Father’s Day weekend, DeVries will provide complimentary strawberries and ice cream at the farm’s 825 Canboro Road location, with goodwill donations going to Willspower. Pick your own strawberries will also be available, along with tractor-powered wagon rides for families to enjoy.
Meeting with the Voice at DeVries Fruit Farms last week, Jen said, “This is the first time Will has felt good in almost three years. It's been a really hard road for him.”
Will loves to play video games, hang out with his siblings, and tend to his rabbits and chickens on the family’s rural property. He is also an active Cub Scout, and is looking forward to an upcoming camping trip at Balls Falls.
“We have a pool and trampoline in our back yard which I love, and a forest with a zipline behind our house which is fun,” said Will. “When I’m sick, I have to stay in bed a lot, which I don’t like.”
He is enrolled at St. Anne’s School in Fenwick, but due to his illness and hospitalizations, has taken all of his studies online.
“He’s a straight-A student,” said his mom.
DeVries couldn’t resist talking about farming, and highlighted that the strawberries were available for picking last week. He has eight acres of strawberries on the farm, with two acres designated for pick-your-own.
“The weather over the next two weeks is supposed to be perfect for strawberries,” he said. “Not too hot, not too cold. If we get an inch of rain every week all summer long, I'll be very happy. All the crops look really good, except for sour cherries, which were hit by a bit of frost in early May. We lost a good chunk of our sour cherry crop.”
Saturday’s Fundraiser on the Farm runs from 10 AM to 3 PM.
