Abby Heffernan, 17, pays tribute to her dad in honour of Father’s Day.

By Abby Heffernan

Every girl dreams that one day, her dad will hold her hand and walk her down the aisle. But I have been lucky enough to have my fathers’ hand to hold along with his support through the last four years while I battle cancer.

My dad is a true role model to me, he’s taught me strength, and that you can never give up when things get hard.

He jokes and says, “you’re a Heffernan, we never lose a fight.”

Donate now to help families stay strong together at RMHC Toronto this Father’s Day.

Whenever I’m feeling down, he tells me to keep my chin up, and then correct my posture because according to him it’s not the best.

My dad is so important to me, he has reminded me to advocate for myself throughout my journey and he has taught me that if something is not right, at times you have to fix it yourself.

He reminds me to take the good days with the bad, and mostly to just all together, not dread too hard on the bad days that I’ve had.

His awful yet very creative “dad jokes” always put a smile on my face when I’m upset, something that is very hard to accomplish when I’m feeling down.

He’s a huge part in why I’m so strong and why I am the person I am today.

Happy Father’s Day dad. Thanks for always being here.

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