Madison, 9, is alive today thanks to the expertise of her medical team and because life-saving technologies funded by generous donors were available  when she urgently needed them. When a common cold spiralled out of control and her oxygen saturation levels dropped dangerously low, Madison, then 2, needed to be intubated and transported immediately to the Alberta Children’s Hospital via the donor-funded Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team.  Her lungs were failing and her only chance at survival was to be put on Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS), a donor-funded, highly specialized heart and lung bypass system – to give her heart and lungs a chance to rest. Knowing that complications like stroke are a risk of ECLS, the hospital’s NeuroCritical Care team, a Canadian first also made possible by donors, was ready to intervene, working to preserve Madison’s brain function by delivering immediate and personalized care. Today, Madison is doing well,  and her parents are incredibly grateful that the hospital had the teams and tools required to save her life.

More than 200 open-heart surgeries are performed at BC Children’s Hospital every year – half on kids under one year old. Coralie was born with multiple holes in her heart, a result of a condition called ventricular septal defect (VSD). She was scheduled for surgery to close the openings when she turned six months old, but at just four months, she contracted a virus that led to near total heart failure. Coralie was hospitalized for three months, becoming a candidate for heart transplant. Eventually, however, her heart function improved and doctors were able to complete her originally planned surgery. Today, Coralie is a thriving toddler, closely monitored by her cardiology team.

Surgeons weren’t the only ones who helped Coralie and her family through this extraordinary time: the entire hospital team came together around them. Coralie’s mom April describes how janitors kept the floor in her room especially clean so Coralie could do physiotherapy when she felt up to it. Social workers came by frequently to check on the family. And donor-supported music therapy was the highlight of each day, with therapists arriving to sing along with Coralie to her favourite song: “Baby Beluga.” The care her family experienced at BC Children’s is in April’s mind every day. “Every time I see Coralie’s scar, it reminds me of the good hearts of people.”

As a young child, Fatoumata endured constant feelings of sickness. After her family moved to Canada, doctors at CHEO diagnosed her with sickle cell anemia, a painful disease where red blood cells are unusually shaped, making it more difficult for them to pass through veins and arteries. Since her diagnosis, Fatoumata and her family have relied on the care team at CHEO to help manage her condition with medication. But as she ages, her pain becomes harder to control – and serious complications can arise quickly. Now 16, Fatoumata has undergone open-heart surgery to remove a dangerous blood clot as well as a life-changing stem cell transplant.

She continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and maturity in the face of this painful disease, and she’s focused on the future – contemplating possible careers in medicine, law or even acting. She credits the team at CHEO for putting her on the road to realizing those dreams. “I have always felt taken care of there,” she says. “No words can ever describe how grateful I am that they all saved my life… more than once.”

While Indigenous peoples represent 15% of Manitoba’s population, as many as 50% of the families treated at the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg are Indigenous. The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba is proud to partner with Indigenous organizations to help meet the health care needs of Indigenous children and youth.

Jenalyn lives with her family in the Cree community of Norway House, about an eight-hour drive north of Winnipeg. Although Norway House has a small community hospital, like many facilities in smaller centres it’s not equipped to handle the wide range of illness and injury larger hospitals manage. On two different occasions, Jenalyn has required urgent care from the HSC Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg for serious infections that were ultimately identified as meningitis.

The Winnipeg hospital is an essential point of access to care for children and youth across Manitoba as well as from Nunavut and Northwestern Ontario. About half of kids treated at HSC Children’s are Indigenous, including many from remote and Northern communities. Donor support helps the hospital extend access to care into patients’ own communities – through virtual visits and telehealth programs. For patients who need to spend time on-site at the hospital, HSC Children’s is also in the process of creating an Indigenous healing space to support children and families while they’re away from their home communities. The project is led by Dr. Melanie Morris, the first and only Indigenous pediatric surgeon in Canada, who was appointed as the first lead of Indigenous Health at HSC Children’s in 2019.

When Darcey was about seven months old, she was diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare genetic illness that causes abnormal blood clots to form, leading organs to shut down. The Children’s Hospital team in London initially hoped that they could help Darcey achieve remission from the disease through blood transfusions and plasmapheresis, a treatment that filters out unwanted elements from a patient’s blood. But the benefits these treatments delivered did not persist. Darcey, now four years old, continues to receive infusions at Children’s Hospital every three weeks, and will require frequent doses of medication for the rest of her life.

Although time at the hospital isn’t easy, Darcey relies on a specialized care team to help her through. Child Life Specialist Erika brings her crafts and helps distract her during difficult aspects of her procedure. Ollie the Clown stops by to make her laugh and make balloon animals using medical gloves. Funds from partners and donors help children’s hospitals provide the special supports kids need to feel safe and comfortable – and even have some fun – while they face the challenges of serious illness.

After a routine ultrasound close to home early in her pregnancy, expectant mother Alexandrine Garceau was unnerved to be unexpectedly referred to CHU Sainte-Justine two hours away in Montreal. The scan had revealed an abnormality that needed further investigation. Thanks to donor support, the Sainte-Justine is equipped with sophisticated diagnostic and imaging equipment that gives care teams deep insight into conditions affecting even the tiniest patients, including those in utero. As the months went by, baby Viviane would rely on the Sainte-Justine for much more than advanced diagnostics.

Specialists discovered that Viviane had tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital condition that involves four distinct heart defects that sometimes occur together. They began to monitor Viviane closely; at just two weeks of age, she became a patient of the mobile cardiology clinic, which takes experts from Sainte-Justine on the road to provide easier access for patients and families. Viviane would eventually need two different heart surgeries, including a rare and leading-edge procedure to repair two life-threatening aneurysms and to reconnect her lungs to her heart. The surgeries were successful and, today, Viviane is an active toddler, known in her family as “the tank.” She’ll need another heart surgery in her teen years, but with the Sainte-Justine close by, her family is optimistic about the future.

When Marie and Erik brought their three-year-old adoptive daughter Norah home to New Brunswick from an orphanage in India, they knew the IWK would soon become part of their lives. Norah required surgery for a bilateral cleft lip and palate. She’d undergone an initial surgery in India, but her palate required further repair.

At first, Norah was deeply fearful of the hospital. Her mom Marie says the IWK team not only provided excellent care but did everything they could to make Norah feel safe and comfortable at every stage. In the summer of 2021, Norah underwent a six-hour surgery where her care team repaired four holes in her palate, removed three baby teeth and grafted bone from her hip to rebuild her gum line. To help manage her nervousness before surgery, her care team wheeled her into the operating room to her favourite song: “Let it Go,” the theme from the movie Frozen. Some of the surgeons even joined Norah in singing along. Norah’s surgery went very well and after several weeks of healing, she spent the rest of the summer swimming and playing at pools and beaches with her family. In the fall, she followed her big brother onto the school bus, heading off to start kindergarten.

When Charlie was born, her breathing issues were so severe that she spent the first 17 days of her life in the neo-natal intensive care unit at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre. Since then, even with medications and puffers, she has had countless Janeway visits and admissions over time to help treat her asthma.

Although it’s stressful when breathing challenges bring her to the hospital, Charlie appreciates everything the Janeway offers. The staff earn her highest praise, but enthusiastic Charlie even raves about the various views from her hospital rooms. “The Janeway is important,” she says, “because they help me breathe and they take good care of me.” Because of the respiratory care Charlie receives from the Janeway team, she’s able to continue pursuing her favourite activities, including cheerleading, dance and singing. Donor support helps to provide specialized care for children like Charlie who experience severe respiratory challenges. And this year, partner funding has helped to drive a collaborative research initiative, involving multiple children’s hospitals, focused on ease of breathing, including for children with asthma, allergies and other conditions.

Devlynn was born with a number of serious medical challenges. Anatomical differences in her bowels, lungs, heart and kidneys caused her to require nine significant surgeries in her first 10 years of life. Since about the age of four, only one of Devlynn’s kidneys has functioned effectively.

Devlynn is one of the children who’s expected to benefit from the new pediatric hemodialysis unit at Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital. Hemodialysis units filter water and waste from the blood of patients whose kidneys don’t function well enough to perform these roles. Children who need hemodialysis benefit from special pediatric units, which enable care teams to tailor dosages precisely to match kids’ generally smaller sizes and weights. Pediatric units are also more adaptable in general, offering adjustable heights and smaller tubing and filter sizes. Donor support helps children’s hospitals acquire and upgrade medical equipment that meets the special needs of pediatric patients. Maintaining a full range of high-quality, up-to-date medical devices and technologies is a vital imperative and often a major expense, especially because science and clinical equipment are constantly advancing.

When 12-year-old Cooper from St. Catharines started experiencing coordination and balance issues while playing baseball, everyone assumed it was the result of a growth spurt. But when he developed severe flu-like symptoms, which prompted his mom to take him to the emergency room, the triage nurse noticed that he had difficulty walking straight. Soon, a CT scan revealed the root of Cooper’s symptoms: a large tumour on the right side of his brain. “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare – hearing that your child has a tumour and feeling so helpless,” recalls his mom, Whitney.

Cooper was immediately transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital for urgent surgery to remove a large portion of the tumour. The surgery was successful and Cooper recovered well, being discharged after five days. The next phase of his treatment involved weekly chemotherapy beginning in May 2019. Although he later needed a second brain surgery to remove a cyst, Cooper’s recovery continued to progress well and he had his final chemo appointment in August 2020. He’ll continue to be monitored by the team at McMaster. “I feel good nowadays,” says Cooper. “I’m back to all my normal activities and I’m really excited to be attending high school with a clean slate.”

When Jayden was two months old, he was diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome, a condition in which certain bones of the skull fuse together prematurely, affecting the shape of the head and face. At first, says Jayden’s mom Cassandre, “I was devastated….I knew there was always the risk of not having a healthy baby, but you just don’t think it will happen to you.”

Jayden has since undergone multiple surgeries at The Montreal Children’s Hospital to address issues associated with Crouzon syndrome. Children with the condition tend to need various interventions as they grow in order to let their brains, vision and hearing develop without being impeded by their skulls. One of the most difficult periods was when Jayden spent time in a distractor, a device designed to gradually move and separate bones (similar to braces realigning teeth), to make room for his growing brain. However, through a combination of surgeries and other interventions, the Montreal Children’s Hospital team have helped Jayden to remain a healthy child on a normal developmental path. “I’m always amazed at how strong and resilient he is,” says Cassandre, expressing gratitude for the care they’ve received. Today, Jayden is doing well and continues to be closely monitored by his medical team, who will continue doing all they can to help him grow into a healthy adolescent and adult.

At the age of 9, Tajaun began to experience pain in his leg. After receiving a concerning X-ray, he was urgently referred to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) for an MRI. Soon, Tajaun and his parents learned that the pain he had been experiencing was a result of osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Tajaun started chemotherapy immediately and the family began to have difficult discussions about surgical options to remove the cancer, eventually opting for rotationplasty surgery. In this procedure, surgeons amputate the femur (and with it the tumour), rotate the bones of the lower leg – shin and ankle – and reattach the lower leg bone at the hip. When the surgery is complete, the rotated ankle functions as the knee – an arrangement that leaves patients, especially young people who are still growing, with greater function than traditional amputation.

Since his successful surgery in November 2018, Tajaun has become an active teenager, wearing his prosthetic limb proudly while keeping up an active program of football, golf, workouts and schoolwork. When he’s not playing sports himself, he enjoys cheering on the Toronto Raptors with his brother and friends.

Canada’s 13 children’s hospitals provide the specialized care that’s required in severe pediatric emergencies, receiving referrals of the most serious cases from community hospitals. When 18-month-old Amélie collapsed at home, her mother had no idea what was wrong. An X-ray at their local emergency room revealed a disc-shaped object lodged in Amélie’s throat: the toddler had swallowed a small lithium battery. An ambulance rushed her from Red Deer to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton; by the time they arrived, Amélie had gone into cardiac arrest twice. She entered the operating room immediately on arrival.

The battery had burnt numerous holes into Amélie’s internal tissue and had ruptured her esophagus, trachea, aorta and carotid left artery. Her medical team worked through the night, performing multiple surgeries. After receiving more than four litres of blood, Amélie went to the pediatric intensive care unit, where she spent days on life support, then on a ventilator, and eventually moved to a ward – for a total of 36 days at the Stollery. Today, Amélie is back to her cheerful, energetic self. She’ll be closely followed by the Stollery team as she grows, but is expected to have a long, healthy life. Her mom Leslie says, “To our family, the Stollery means hope. A second chance at life.”