It’s news no parent ever wants to hear.
On Friday, Canadian singer Michael Bublé and his wife announced their three-year-old son has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing treatment in the U.S.
“We are devastated. … Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well,” the Burnaby native wrote in a Facebook post. “At this difficult time, we ask only for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the world, we will win this battle, God willing.”
It’s unknown what type of cancer Noah has.
One organization that’s reeling from the news is B.C. Children’s Hospital, a place Bublé has been heavily involved with for more than a decade, donating both his time and money.
Debora Sweeney, chief strategy officer for B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation, told the NOW the singer’s contributions are well over $3 million.
“They’ve done a number of things over the years. There was a gala at the beginning of our campaign where he performed, he donated proceeds from a concert that he did, and over the years, the family has had children from the hospital in the suite at the Giants games,” she said. “He’s visited Children’s Hospital many, many times and virtually every time, without any fanfare. He doesn’t want that kind of attention. He just wants to go and visit with the children.”
Sweeney added Bublé has “tremendous empathy” for the kids, no matter how sick they are.
“He always sees past the illness and really connects with the child,” she said. “He’s really generous, whether it’s the housekeeping staff here, nurses, parents, kids, everybody. He embraces everybody and talks to them. We just want to offer them all of our love and support, and great hope. Just be brave. Children are very resilient and strong, and we have a lot of hope that everything is going to be OK (in) the end.”
