Evolved Parenting is all about inspiring you to become the kind of person, the kind of parent you want to be. Every month, I will feature an inspirational parent to uplift, encourage and ultimately inspire all of us to become the kind of parent that we truly want to be.

Inspirational Parent of the Month
Tracey Arnish

I was inspired to create this section as a result of the example that my friend Tracey Arnish sets for her family and for all of us. It is with a very heavy heart that I present this phenomenal woman to you.

Tracey is a mother of 2 who is currently facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her 3.5 year old son, Beckett, was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). ALL strikes 7 out of 100,000 children and is the most common form of childhood leukemia. Beckett has demonstrated amazing strength and resilience in the first 2 months of his 3.5 year battle. His loving parents have as well.

Tracey and her husband Jason are friends of mine from high school. They’ve been together since Junior High - that’s inspirational in and of itself! In May of this year, their world was forever changed when their precious boy was diagnosed with Cancer. Instead of drowning in negativity, both Tracey & Jason have united together in strength, optimism and family spirit and encouraged Beckett to face his battle against leukemia with courage and fierce determination. All of these characteristics encapsulate who Tracey & Jason are as people and as parents. Beckett is lucky and blessed to have this positive role modeling from his parents, especially now while he battles this serious illness at his tender age.

In classic Tracey-style, she has found a way to turn this negative into a positive by participating in the October Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. All of the proceeds from this event will go toward research for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma. Tracey is diligently training for and will complete this event for Beckett, and for the many children she hopes will never have to go through this unimaginable illness.

I am honoured to feature Tracey as my first inspirational parent. Never afraid to take on a new challenge, Tracey has always lived her life with optimism, common sense and rationality even amidst the many challenges of life. Now that she is faced with the unthinkable, Tracey continues with this same strong sense of character and lead-by-example attitude. She has been an “Evolved Parent” since Beckett’s birth with her keen intuitive skills and deep understanding of how her role modeling affects his experiences and interactions within the world.

Long before Beckett’s diagnosis, Tracey & Jason pursued their wish of adopting a baby girl from China. After traveling to China as teenagers on a high school trip, they planned to adopt a girl from a Chinese orphanage. Years after this trip, they began the adoption process and expected, at the most, a one year wait. After two years of waiting, they finally received word that their daughter was ready for adoption. In a strange twist of fate, this long-awaited word came only a few weeks after Beckett’s diagnosis. Many couples would pass on this opportunity due to the overwhelming stress of the leukemia diagnosis and the illness that followed. Not Tracey & Jason. They pulled their family resources together and Jason and his family traveled to China, while Tracey and her family stayed behind to care for Beckett. Both Tracey and Jason are demonstrating their strong parenting skills not only with Beckett, but now also with their 10 month old daughter Mckenna.

A loving and evolved family, Tracey, Jason, Beckett and Mckenna are a shining example of how unity in family and a positive-take-charge attitude CAN
make a difference. Tracey’s dedication to help raise money for cancer research while her son fights his own battle with cancer, just goes to show the kind of woman and mother she is. If you’d like to donate to Tracey’s fundraising efforts to help in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma, please CLICK HERE.



Do you know an inspirational parent? I want to hear about them! Please email their story and maybe they’ll be featured on my website. jenny@evolvedparenting.ca