Today we met some real heroes. Sam and Luca (and their families). More on them in a sec.

Being a supportive part of the community is a club pillar here at Atleti. We aim to impact and enhance the lives of our community members, by partnering with groups and organizations that are aligned with our vision.  Organizations like CHEO Foundation and Sean Frost Real Estate.

A little history…

The Pay What You Can Home Opener is a special tradition that started in year one of our franchise. The match was August 14 2021 and Atlético Ottawa beat Halifax 2-1 in front of a packed south side and the largest attendance for a CPL home opener in the CPL history.  

Since then we have performed a version of Pay What You Can every year with a rotating benefactor each year. In 2023 we joined forces with CHEO Foundation for the first time and are happy to rekindle that relationship again this year.

The match this year is once again against Halifax Wanderers. It all happens on April 5th at 2pm at TD Place. Tickets come in all sorts of price levels as we do our best to lower the barrier of entry for soccer fans across the region. Lowest price posts always sell out first! There are also options to support CHEO Foundation when purchasing tickets  as an add-on at checkout. Fans will also have the opportunity to support CHEO Foundation via the 50/50 draw at the match. 

Local business leader Sean Mcrae who leads the Sean Frost Real Estate Team is back for the third time sponsoring the home opener. And we can not thank him enough! 

Also big shout out to Emily Jamieson, who is the Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy and Community Engagement, of CHEO Foundation. Emily and the awesome team at CHEO Foundation introduced us today to Sam and Luca.

Sam is 11 who is today was with his parents: Maryse and Alexandre and sister: Emma who is 9.

Sam recently came to CHEO for emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, one of the nastiest his surgeon has said they’d ever seen, which almost carries a bit of a ‘cool factor.’

Unfortunately, Sam has had some complications and required a 10 day stay at CHEO and a run of IV antibiotics to handle it. He managed to get a discharge on his 11th birthday, but since he had just had surgery, his big celebration will happen when he’s fully recovered. He had a bit of a setback on the weekend and came to CHEO to get checked out and received another 5-day course of antibiotics – and he’s already feeling better.

Sam is passionate about soccer and plays for the Aylmer Soccer Academy three times per week. He’s also a competitive chess player with a tournament coming up next month. He also has a little sister, Emma who is almost 9, who he likes to tease a bit – but he missed her a lot during his stay at CHEO. She’s also a soccer player and is joining us here today.

And then Emily introduced us to Luca who is 13. 

Luca was joined today by his parents are Rosella and Roy and his younger sister, Chiara.

Luca is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2023 when he was 11 years old.

Cancer cells were detected in his lungs, spleen and chest. The team at CHEO wasted no time in putting together a treatment plan. The diagnosis happened on a Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon he had his PICC line (a form of intravenous access used to administer chemo and medicine), and that Friday he had his first treatment.

Mature beyond his years, Luca started a YouTube channel, Luca’s Courage, which was a platform to share his thoughts, experiences and provide words of encouragement to other kids going through a similar experience. He has represented CHEO at CN Cycle and was featured in the Kids These Days campaign commercial. He is cancer free – and has resumed his life and his passion for soccer both as a spectator and as a player.

Meeting Luca and Sam today and hearing their story just reinforces the our purpose to support the mission of CHEO Foundation.

We hope to see you April 5th at TD Place. Tickets are available now!