Have you ever heard of the saying, “you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain”?

That thought was at the top of my mind when I spotted Michael Wekerle, a Canadian investor on CBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’, sitting less than 10-feet away from me at an Awards Gala during Canadian Music Week in Toronto.

(Credit: Michael Wekerle Facebook)

A fellow employee at my table dared me to go tell Mr. Wekerle about my fundraiser for Mario Diotte – a local Sudbury man who was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer that is not covered by OHIP.  His treatment costs upwards of $100,000 every 6 months. (READ FULL STORY HERE)

(Mario Diotte, left)

 

My goal was clear from day one. I told Sudbury and Mario that I would shave my hair off once I reached my $5,000 fundraising goal.

My donations had come to a standstill and I knew I needed to take this dare up. With absolutely zero hesitation, I got up and walked directly to the table that Michael Wekerle was sitting at. I introduced myself as Shannon King, the morning show host on KiSS 105.3.

After telling him that I was a big fan of the “Dragon’s Den” show, he asked me what my job entailed – giving me a perfect opportunity to tell him about my fundraiser for Mario. Wekerle responded saying, “$5,000?! That’s amazing. Do you have a pen?”


I handed him a pen and he whipped out a blank cheque and said, “who should I make this $5,000 out to?”.

At this point I am in absolute shock. I’m shaking and have tears in my eyes when I tell him to make it out to Mario Diotte.

And just like that, thanks to Michael Wekerle and everyone else who donated, I surpassed my fundraising goal of $5,000.


This moment was beyond emotional. I went from $2,635 to $7,635 within a matter of minutes. Feeling so grateful to Michael’s overwhelming act of kindness, I had to share the amazing news with Mario and his mother Lise Diotte, whom I work with at 880 Lasalle Blvd. I ran outside where it was quiet so I could call her via video chat.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

 

 

 

What’s even more incredible? A KiSS 105.3 listener named Angele Brouillette called me during the morning show when I first shared my fundraising idea on-air. Take a listen to our conversation. 

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KiSS Mornings with Shannon: Angele Brouillette's Friendly Fundraising Challenge

Originally Aired: May 11, 2019

Angele was serious about kicking my butt, too! She shared her fundraiser with her co-workers at Extendicare York. Her team came together and Angele was selling everything from pizza, ice cream and even winks for $2!

She called me with updates to let me know how she was doing.

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KiSS Mornings with Shannon: Challenge Update

Originally Aired: April 16, 2019

Angele truly is a real-life-angel. She has a heart of gold and thanks to her, we can  both shave our hair off for Mario Diotte and present a very large cheque to the Diotte family. The fundraising isn’t over yet! I’m going to give Angele some time to catch up and invite you to donate to Mario today.

Click HERE to DONATE 

Filed under: Cancer, CBC, Dragons Den, fundraising, Go Fund Me, kissmornings, Mario Diotte, Michael Wekerle, Sudbury, viral, viral news, viral story