Bruce Johnson, a REALTOR® and salesperson with RE/MAX By The Bay Brokerage, in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, has gone to the ends of the earth for the Children’s Miracle Network and rallied hundreds of REALTORS® from around the world to support their children’s hospitals.
<iframe width="100%" height="385" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yy1R_FU2yUc?si=7N_FNAavPZwM7Pn-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>When his career began in 1997, Bruce signed up to become a Miracle Agent for the Children’s Miracle Network, donating a portion of every home sale to his local children’s hospital. Not long after, he and his wife, Mary, learned that they were expecting their firstborn child and eagerly awaited the day they would get to meet her.
On November 17, 1998, their daughter, a beautiful girl named Alyssa Rae, was born and was immediately rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at SickKids Hospital in Toronto. She had a rare condition known as omphalocele, where organs had grown outside of her body. The condition was further compounded by an exposed heart and issues with her lungs and brain. After three weeks of fighting for survival, at 8:08 p.m., on Sunday, December 6, 1998, Alyssa passed away peacefully in her parents’ arms.
“We had her for 20 days, and that itself is a miracle. Without SickKids, that would not have happened,” says Mary.
Devasted by the loss, Mary and Bruce found joy again when they welcomed their second daughter, Holly, and youngest, Jocelyn, both of whom also needed the expertise of SickKids but had the same drive for adventure as their parents and strength of their never-forgotten older sibling.
In 2013, a promise made during one of Holly’s eye surgeries at SickKids turned a planned father-daughter adventure into a fundraiser in memory of Alyssa known as “Motorcycle for Miracles.” The fundraising odyssey began in Wasaga Beach and saw the duo ride their motorcycle all the way to Costa Rica, raising money for the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund at SickKids, supporting high priority needs in the crucial areas of medical research, education, and patient care, as they went.
“When we left on that first trip, $25,000 seemed like an impossible goal to reach,” shares Holly. “And I still remember how shocked and amazed we were that people cared enough to donate.”
With the support of their entire family, over the next six years, Bruce and Holly’s first trip became three. Canada to Costa Rica was followed by a cross-country trip from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and, finally, the epic “Ends of the Earth” ride spanning the Americas, from the Northwest Territories to Argentina. Past bears and buzzards, through snow, deserts, and torrential downpours, and even after the breaking down of their beloved motorcycle “Miracle,” the two persevered.
“These kids are the toughest human beings on earth. They really are. And they haven’t done anything to deserve to be in the hospitals,” shares Bruce. “That’s the steel in our spines that kept us going through stuff that most people would stop for.”
At every stop along their routes, Bruce and Holly met with local agents and brokerages, talking about the impact of REALTOR®-driven donations, and raising money across the Children’s Miracle Network, as well as encouraging other REALTORS® to begin their own successful campaigns in support of local children’s hospitals. In total, they rode 60,000 kilometres — from one end of the earth to the other — and raised $750,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network in support of sick children everywhere.
Bruce’s tireless efforts also captured the attention of media, inspiring REALTORS® beyond the RE/MAX Network to give. In recognition of his impact around the globe, Johnson garnered the a 2019 Good Neighbors Award from the National Association of REALTORS® in the United States, making him the only non-American recipient ever to receive the honour.
But Bruce wasn’t done — not when more could be raised in memory of Alyssa. A final solo “Road to a Million” ride through Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022 put Bruce over the top, reaching $1 million raised for the Children’s Miracle Network, $865,000 of which went directly to the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund at SickKids in Toronto.
“That fund supports a new era in precision child health,” says Wendy Dempsey, Associate Director and Cause Marketing, SickKids Foundation. “Whether it’s hard-to-beat cancers, or complex heart conditions, or rare diseases, precision child health means offering targeted precise care to-individually to every child who needs it.”
Tragically, in Spring 2024, the Johnsons were once again given devastating medical news: Bruce had non-operable, stage four lung cancer and his doctors couldn’t say how long he had left. While he’s currently receiving targeted treatment to extend his life, the Johnsons know that nothing is guaranteed.
For many, the diagnosis would stop them in their tracks. For Bruce, despite the prognosis, it means continuing to push forward on raising money and awareness of children facing their own health battles.
His final goal? To see the Alyssa Rae Johnson Fund reach $1 million, ensuring support for the staff and patients at SickKids for years to come.
“That’s why we have children’s hospitals. We are so fragile, and these places put us back together, put these kids back together, are magically trying to put me back together,” shares Bruce. “Even if the drugs are failing me, those will be my last days because that’s something that I really think is meaningful to leave that legacy behind. For Alyssa. I promised her, I can’t and won’t forget her.”
Inspired by this Canadian REALTORS Care® Award Nominee, REALTORS® from across the country are once again rallying to help realize this dream for the Johnsons, and you can help.
“If I could, I think that I’d like to tell Alyssa about how awesome our Dad is,” says Holly. “I think that he deserves to know that she would be really proud of him and everything that he’s given for her memory.”
REALTORS Care® Spotlight shares stories of how featured nominees of the Canadian REALTORS Care® Award are working to make their communities a better place for all.
