When cancer and COVID-19 collide: Teen steps up to care for mom
Madeline McDermott, 17, learned to cook, cut hair, and give her mom injections while in isolation
Leslie McDermott, 52, sits in her bright Ottawa kitchen while her daughter Madeline, 17, stands behind her holding clippers.
"I don't know where to start," says Madeline.
"Just don't hurt me," replies Leslie with a tense giggle.
"I'll try my best," laughs Madeline.
Madeline turns on the clippers and begins to shave her mother's head for the first time.
It's just one of many things the high school senior has learned to do since she and Leslie started to self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this amateur home haircut is different than countless others happening all over Canada and being shared on social media.
Madeline is shaving Leslie's head because her hair is falling out from the chemotherapy treatments she gets every two weeks.
December diagnosis
Leslie was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer on Dec. 12, 2019.
"There is no cancer in my family, so I was really shocked that I would have cancer," says Leslie.
Friends rallied to support the single mom. They created a fundraising site, delivered meals to her, and people showed up regularly to her home to help with cleaning and moral support.
In January she had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. Her chemotherapy started on March 10.
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic the next day, and suddenly Leslie's circle of supportive friends and family could no longer come into her home.
"We have to be on hyper alert for everything because of my chemo treatment," says Leslie.
She even suggested to Madeline that she isolate with their best friends, thinking it would be easier for her daughter.
But there was no way Madeline was leaving her mom.
"Me and my mom are kind of like best friends," says Madeline. "We've always been really close."
High school year interrupted
Before cancer and COVID-19, Madeline and Leslie spent a lot of time at volleyball games, with Madeline on the court and Leslie cheering her on from the stands.
As an elite player with the Ottawa Mavericks, and in her final year of high school at Lisgar Collegiate Institute, Madeline had been visiting universities and reaching out to coaches with hopes of playing at the varsity level.
"I was so excited for 2020 because we're the graduating class. My mom and I actually went to go get my prom dress and that was really exciting," says Madeline. "We found, like, the perfect one."
"I was excited for our provincials, and our nationals were going to be in Edmonton again this year, which is super exciting because we would have been leaving on my birthday," says Madeline.
Now that trip won't happen.
Learning curve
These days Madeline is finishing her school year through distance learning, trying to maintain her 84 per cent average while mourning her cancelled volleyball season and prom.
She is also stepping up and learning lots of new skills as she supports her mom.
In addition to cutting Leslie's hair, Madeline has started watching cooking videos and trying out new recipes for the two of them. She's taught herself to sew, and has even learned to stand in as her mom's nurse.
"One of the things that I have to do is inject myself with a white blood cell booster. And I really hate needles, so [giving injections is] another thing that Madeline has mastered," says Leslie. "I am so grateful that she chose to stay with me and help me."
But Madeline tells her mom she wouldn't have done it any other way.
"I chose you because I love you and I'm very happy that I did," she said. "I'm just really grateful that I get to spend this time with you."
Both Madeline and Lesile acknowledge that it has been tough to deal with all the challenges and ways that cancer and COVID-19 have upended their lives. But they manage to find ways to laugh together and stay strong.
After each chemo session they do a photo shoot where Leslie wears a pair of Wonder Woman underwear and pieces of Madeline's old Wonder Woman Halloween costume.
"She'll add a different article each two weeks after her treatment until she gets to the end, and then she'll be the complete Wonder Woman that she is," says Madeline.
"It's definitely really empowering to see her being so confident and proud of herself, and I'm really proud of her too."