Fifteen years ago, everything changed for Mckenna Lumley. 

At just four years old, Lumley was diagnosed with a juvenile benign pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA), a rare childhood brain tumour. 

Her family started to notice something was off when she was in the bath and unable to move her head back. This limited mobility progressed into her screaming due to neck pain and vomiting. While doctors were convinced Lumley was suffering from a flu bug, her mother, WE-SPARK assistant director Karen Metcalfe, knew something more was going on. 

After some tests to further investigate, they received the news. 

“My mom was roasting beets in the oven — I remember this because she hasn’t since — and she got the phone call saying, ‘She has a giant mass in her cerebellum. You need to get her to the hospital. We’re sending her to the Children’s Hospital in London,’” Lumley said. 

While she doesn’t remember much about that time, she does recall the ambulance ride, the mirrors along the walls as she was wheeled down the hallway, and the glitter wand she was given — something she still has to this day. 

“After surgery I was in the hospital for several weeks. Because of where the tumour was, I had to relearn how to walk, how to talk, all of that,” she explained. 

Before she went into surgery, Lumley’s parents asked the doctor what they should expect. The doctor’s answer? “Well, I wouldn’t expect her to be a ballerina.” But she’s been dancing ballet for 10 years — and has been beating the odds ever since. 

Lumley has been a longtime advocate and philanthropist for others with brain tumours, raising funds for research by selling bracelets in the third grade and founding Glitter Glam: Tattoos for a Cause, a flair tattoo initiative she ran for the next four years. 

She was involved with the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada for many years and wrote and illustrated a self-published children’s book, with a portion of the proceeds going to the foundation. 

Now, Lumley is working with the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation to raise money for local brain tumour research as part of Connecting for a Cause.  

Throughout the month of May, which marks Brain Tumour Awareness Month, she and others have been raising money leading up to an in-person event on Friday, May 30, where they will celebrate their collective efforts, meet local researchers, tour laboratories and connect. 

Lumley’s team, the Pirates of the Cerebellum, has so far raised $9,930 of the event’s $25,000 goal. Those looking to get involved can still donate to the cause at canadahelps.org. 

Reflecting on her story and her life over the past 15 years as a survivor, Lumley notes she is one of the lucky ones — a perspective that really drives her advocacy. 

“I am what people hope for. I am the ideal outcome,” she said. “I am what I hope research eventually gets to for everyone who has a brain tumour. 

“I want research to get to the point where I am not the one per cent — where I am just the standard baseline. Especially for benign brain tumours that are operable.” 

Still, Lumley’s journey has not been without its challenges. Having had brain surgery at such a young age, she has struggled with certain subjects in school, particularly English and writing. But once she accepted her accommodations, she began to thrive and has since found her place in the creative arts. 

Now a third-year School of Dramatic Art student, Lumley continues to share her story — most recently through a play titled Inheritance, which debuted at the Student Works Festival and explores her experience with her brain tumour. 

“The arts beg for unconventional thinkers, and by nature of having had a giant mass in my brain, kind of makes me an unconventional thinker,” Lumley laughed. 

She credits her mom, family, teachers and members of the local brain tumour community as key supporters throughout her journey and in her advocacy. 

Connecting for a Cause will host its celebration on Friday, May 30 at the University of Windsor’s Essex CoRe building from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information visit Connecting For A Cause Canadahelps  

The creator of a new UWindsor exhibit says he wanted to highlight a theme of unity between Canada and the United States at a tense time in the history of relations between the two counties.  

Building Bridges (and Tunnels) between Nations is a physical exhibit hosted by the Leddy Library Archives & Special Collections.  

“As we go through this very strained time in our relationship with the United States, I thought it was important to look back and remind ourselves that it was not always this way,” says Dave Yott, Leddy Library archival assistant and exhibit curator.  

“All the artifacts, pictures, and articles I found in my research for this display highlighted time and time again this sense of unity and hope for a prosperous future for both our nations that people held.”  

Drawing from archival collections, as well as other resources available through the Leddy Library, Yott created the exhibit with historical newspaper articles, photos, medals, and editorial cartoons.   

By focusing on items in UWindsor’s collections relating to transportation links between Windsor and Detroit, and the cross-border route of the Detroit Free Press International Marathon, the exhibit focuses on themes of unity and friendship between Canada and the U.S. in the 20th century.   

“Individually, these items speak to the many ties of friendship, family, trade, geography, culture, and history that unite those of us who live in the Detroit River Region,” says archivist Dr. Sarah Glassford. 

One highlight is a tiny metal Tunnel token – a long-standing form of toll payment that was phased out in 2012. Another is an editorial cartoon by longtime Windsor Star cartoonist Mike Graston on a border-crossing theme.   

“By drawing together these fragments of the past, the exhibit as a whole serves to highlight that Canada and the United States have a long history of cooperation. There have been tariffs and annexation threats in the past as well, but long periods of harmony and interconnectedness are also significant elements of the historical context for the tensions of the present moment,” she says. 

Along with providing historical context, the exhibit promotes awareness of the rich archival resources and historical publications relating to local history that are available through UWindsor. “Leddy Library takes very seriously its role as a trusted steward of local heritage,” says university librarian Dr. Selinda Berg. 

“This exhibit speaks strongly to current events and our geopolitical position in Windsor, while highlighting many interesting collections available that faculty, students, and community members can access for their own research, scholarship, and creative work.” 

The exhibit is housed in the Leddy Library Archives & Special Collections Reading Room: Room G-100 in the Leddy Library Main Building basement, by appointment. It runs from Thursday, May 8 through Sunday Aug. 31, 2025.   

As applications open for the Rhodes Scholarship, students are invited to attend one of two upcoming information sessions to learn more about the process.

An English-language session will take place online on Monday, June 2, followed by a French-language session on Thursday, June 5, but at 1 p.m.

The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most competitive and well-known international scholarship programs, offering students from around the world the opportunity to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford.

Rhodes Scholars Rishi Bansal (Ontario & Hertford 2023), Tess Casher (Maritimes & Balliol 2023), and Jane Hutchings (Newfoundland & Brasenose 2022) will share insights into the application and interview process — and what it’s like to be part of the global Rhodes community.

Register for either session online at www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/applications/canada/

The Honourable Rechie Valdez (BCS 2003), a proud University of Windsor graduate, has been appointed Canada’s Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism — a dual role that places her at the forefront of federal leadership.

Valdez, who was elected as the Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Streetsville in 2021, has consistently broken barriers. A Canadian entrepreneur, television personality, and passionate community advocate, she made history as the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected to Parliament and now, the first to be appointed to Cabinet.

“We are incredibly proud of the Honourable Rechie Valdez, a distinguished University of Windsor alumna, whose appointment to Canada’s Federal Cabinet is both a historic milestone and a moment of inspiration,” says Judy Bornais, associate vice-president, external.

“Her leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and dedication to public service exemplify the kind of impact our graduates are making across the country.

"Minister Valdez’s achievements are a powerful reminder to our students and alumni of the importance of leadership, value of diverse perspectives and the difference that each of them can make.”

Read more about Minister Valdez on her federal government profile.

Prime Minister Mark Carney poses with members of his newly appointed Cabinet and Secretaries of State following the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall. Among the historic appointments is The Honourable Rechie Valdez (BCS 2003), a University of Windsor alumna, who now serves as Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism — becoming the first Filipino-Canadian woman to join the federal Cabinet. (Photo credit Rechie Valdez/Facebook)