Just 4 Kids Fall 2020

FALL 2020

A new era in child health & wellness research Read about Daniel’s journey at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH

A new era in child health & wellness research This fall, the University of Calgary declared Child Health and Wellness a campus-wide priority — becoming a national leader in this critical area of research.

“The University of Calgary, together with our superb partners, Alberta Health Services, and our community, now have a unique focus: children and their families,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, UCalgary President and ViceChancellor. “We are proud to prioritize child health and wellness research — our significant capacity combined with our strategic focus positions us to be a leader in Canada. Thanks to strong partnerships and an incredibly generous community, UCalgary is applying our research to help children and families to thrive.”

Forty years of community support through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation have empowered UCalgary to build a critical mass of researchers and physicians — 1,000 scholars, trainees and staff dedicated to child health and wellness. They recognize that advancing the science behind children’s health is integral to understanding, predicting and preventing disease throughout the lifespan. Now, with the full force of the university behind them, experts across the entire campus will work together with the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services, community agencies and families to solve the most critical issues facing children today.

Stacey Audley is one mother who is thrilled with this news, knowing firsthand the life-saving difference research makes. Last year, her 6-yearold son, Daniel caught the flu — just like the rest of their family. Although everyone else was feeling better within JUST 4 KIDS – FALL 2020

a couple of days, Daniel wasn’t. Stacey picked him up to carry him downstairs to watch tv and he went limp in her arms. She and her husband, Keith, rushed him to the Alberta Children’s Hospital where he became completely unresponsive. After suspicious findings on a CT scan, an MRI was ordered that confirmed their worst fear — swelling of the brain stem. Daniel’s parents understood that if the swelling cut off the blood supply to his brain, it would be catastrophic. They knew this because the exact same thing — rogue flu, swelling brain, unresponsiveness

— claimed the life of their daughter, Rebecca, 17 years earlier.

“This can’t happen again. This can’t happen to our family again,” was all Stacey could say to their son’s doctors.

A team of experts specializing in pediatric intensive care, neurocritical care (NCC), neurology, rheumatology, radiology and genetics — some of whom had been part of Rebecca’s care team years ago — all moved quickly and in concert with one another. Given the extent of the swelling and resulting injury to his brain, the risk of losing Daniel was high.

6-year-old Daniel needed life-saving care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

The Grand Challenges

The University of Calgary has identified five Grand Challenges that reflect the highest needs and greatest potential impact for children. They form the basis for UCalgary’s next chapter in scientific discovery — focused on transforming research and care to benefit children in our community and around the world.

They are centred around five key areas:

From Vulnerable to Resilient: Identifying, understanding and addressing serious threats to children’s physical and mental health while empowering children, adolescents, families and communities.

Better Beginnings: Optimizing maternal, fetal, newborn and child health with accurate prediction, prevention and intervention.

Pushing the Boundaries of Brain and Mental Health: Leading discoveries in brain biology, resilience and new therapies for children, teens and young adults.

Ending the Diagnostic Odyssey: Rapidly deciphering and addressing the genetic origins of disease to optimize tailored treatment.

“We are eternally grateful to everyone at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and all those who conducted research over the past 17 years who helped Daniel survive what Rebecca couldn’t.”

— Stacey Audley, Daniel’s mom Thanks to community investment across all five areas of research, UCalgary researchers have made significant advancements over the past 20 years.

Discoveries in brain health and genetics were of tremendous importance to Daniel’s family. New knowledge and treatments not previously available to Rebecca were now part of the arsenal in fighting Daniel’s life-threatening condition. With the clinical and research teams working tirelessly to save him, Daniel benefited from a very aggressive

treatment strategy — high dose steroids, apheresis, 24/7 monitoring of every vital sign and a cooling blanket to help slow his brain down to prevent further damage. The team used leading-edge brain-computer interface technologies to determine if Daniel was aware of his surroundings even though he couldn’t speak or move. To everyone’s relief, he was!

As he began to recover, Daniel’s team made a huge breakthrough. By sequencing his DNA, they were able

Surviving and Thriving: Reducing the lifelong impact of childhood cancers by advancing precision therapies today and developing new treatments for tomorrow.

to identify the gene responsible for the condition he shared with his sister. In a collaborative effort with scientists in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, that discovery has kickstarted new research that will benefit families like the Audleys around the world.

“It brings me to tears knowing that kids will be the focus of even more research at the children’s hospital and University of Calgary,” says Stacey. “Without research to improve treatments, we know how Daniel’s story could have ended.”

“When children suffer from conditions as serious and as complex as Daniel’s, decisions need to be made quickly and continuously,” says Dr. Michael Esser, a member of Daniel’s care team and Director of the Pediatric NeuroCritical Care and Translational Research Program. “Test results that used to take months or years can now be obtained in days, sometimes hours.

As we advance NCC and genomics, we believe we will be able to use our research to inform clinical decisionmaking at the bedside in real time.”

CHILDRENSHOSPITAL. AB.CA

With his breathing tube removed, Daniel’s mom, Stacey, holds him for the first time.

“Identifying Child Health and Wellness as a campus-wide research priority allows us to focus the spectacular talents of our scholars on the needs of children and families,” says Dr. Susa Benseler, Director of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. “Recognizing that children’s health extends beyond the walls of our hospital, we are working with schools, community partners and policymakers on research to address urgent needs in child health with an emphasis on prevention, promotion, and wellness. We have a tremendous

A determined Daniel takes to the ice and shows off for his doctors.

BCI showed doctors and his family that Daniel understood what was happening around him.

opportunity here in Calgary to transform children’s lives through research.”

“We are incredibly grateful to our generous community,” says Saifa Koonar, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“Their vision, commitment and decades of investment in pediatric research have created this nation-leading opportunity.

Ultimately, children and families in Alberta — like Daniel’s — will be the first to benefit from important new discoveries and our community will be healthier and stronger as a result.”

It was a long road to recovery once Daniel began breathing on his own.

He worked hard with his rehabilitation, speech, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy teams. Within a few weeks, he was able to move from a wheelchair to a walker. When he was finally able to leave the hospital, he proudly walked out on his own steam, wearing a superhero cape sewn especially for him by a family friend. Today, Daniel is fully recovered, enjoying playing the ukulele and learning to skate.

“We are forever grateful to everyone at the hospital — all the doctors, nurses, therapists and researchers who fought to save our son. Honestly, we really didn’t know if he would make it,” says Stacey. “Now, because they worked so hard to protect his brain, we have our same happy boy back. When he put his skates on for the first time, Daniel asked us to take a picture and send it to his doctors saying, ‘betcha they never thought I could do this!’”

The University of Calgary is driving science and innovation to transform the health and wellbeing of children and families. Led by the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, top scientists across the campus are partnering with Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, and our community to create a better future for children through research.

PLANNED GIVING

Building a legacy For several generations, heart disease has run in the families of Rosslyn and Norman Steinberg. Both of their fathers suffered from it. Both had a brother pass away from it. They lost their young son, Paul, to it. And several years ago, it was discovered that their grown granddaughter Madison had a coarctation of the aorta — an undiagnosed congenital defect. As she was over 18 at the time, she had surgery at an adult hospital, however, the Steinbergs were fully supported by the cardiac experts at the Alberta Children’s Hospital who they had come to know and trust. Many years on now, Madison is living a healthy life.

Fortunately, generosity also runs in the Steinberg family. Despite all the hardships they’ve suffered in their lives, Rosslyn and Norman chose to make something good happen. For years, they have been supporting the Alberta Children’s Hospital and, as a result, they’ve inspired a sense of philanthropy in their children and grandchildren.

In 1946, when Rosslyn’s 5-year-old brother, Zelick, was brought to the Alberta Children’s Hospital — then the Red Cross Crippled Children’s Hospital — the resources and technology that exist today were not available. Then, in 1962 when Paul was born with congenital heart disease, there wasn’t a cardiology department dedicated to pediatrics in Calgary.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, including the Steinbergs, the Alberta Children’s Hospital is now leading world-class cardiology research and is equipped with state-of-the-art tools needed to help diagnose and care for children with heart disease.

With a legacy gift, Rosslyn and Norman Steinberg’s generosity will help children for years to come.

“We want to leave a legacy gift so that the world-class care that’s available to families today will be available for many generations to come.”

— Rosslyn Steinberg “It’s paramount to us to give back,” says Norman. “We decided when we were in a position to, we would want to support pediatric cardiology because it’s played such a large role in our family.”

Norman and Rosslyn helped to purchase Cardiohelp technology — a system that helps streamline the process of putting critically-ill children onto heart and lung bypass equipment.

Their gifts have also helped the hospital purchase a portable echocardiogram machine and oxygen monitors for the cardiology department as well as a cardiac imaging upgrade to the hospital’s newest 3T MRI machine. The Steinbergs feel especially fortunate to have met a young man who gratefully explained how his life had been saved by the equipment they had supported.

“We wanted to give someone else an opportunity,” says Rosslyn. “We are fortunate with our own health, and this is a way we can support other families.” And while it’s been a joy to see their present-day gifts making such a difference at the hospital, they have also pledged to keep giving into the future.

To ensure their support will last beyond their lifetimes, Rosslyn and Norman have left a gift — also known as a Bequest — to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in their Will.

“We know the tools and research needed to care for these children will continue to evolve over time,” says Rosslyn. “We want to leave a legacy gift so that the world-class care that’s available to families today will be available for many generations to come.”

If you are interested in learning more about Legacy Giving, please visit childrenshospital.ab.ca/LegacyGiving

STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT

Life-changing laser surgery “We are operating millimetres from nerves, vessels and vital structures, so there’s little margin for error.”

— Dr. Walter Hader, Neurosurgeon Thanks to community support of stateof-the-art technology that enables Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), Alberta Children’s Hospital neurosurgeons are the first in western Canada to perform a revolutionary procedure to help children suffering with seizures. In fact, thanks to community donations, life-changing brain surgery is now possible for children for whom surgery just wasn’t an option — until now. What used to be an invasive open procedure that required the equivalent of 100 stitches to close the surgical site can now be accomplished with just one suture.

Using LITT, neurosurgeons are able to pass a thin laser probe through a millimetre-sized incision into a target deep within the brain. The probe then heats up and destroys the tumour or lesion responsible for causing the seizures, while preserving the surrounding healthy brain tissue.

“While we use the utmost care to plan and perform operations within the brain, LITT allows us to operate with exquisite precision, in a non-invasive way,” says Dr. Walter Hader.

LITT works in tandem with another donor-funded piece of innovative technology called a Robotic Surgical Assistant (ROSA). ROSA is used first JUST 4 KIDS – FALL 2020

to provide essential minimally invasive brain mapping in advance of LITT to show the surgeon where seizures are originating, and secondly to robotically place the LITT probes directly into the targeted tissue with pinpoint accuracy.

Brain surgery is very effective in many children with epilepsy and can significantly reduce their seizures or even take them away altogether in 50-70 percent of patients. However, prior to LITT and ROSA, brain mapping and open operations required the child’s entire skull cap to be removed.

The process could be understandably frightening for families and some parents chose not to put their child through it.

Today, surgeons describe a very different scenario to families: a tiny incision, very little or no pain, home in one or two days…and one suture instead of one hundred.

“ROSA and LITT have made brain surgery less daunting for families.

This technology is actually changing the conversation we’re having with families,” says Dr. Hader. “Considering what’s at stake — a child’s life, a child’s future — my colleagues and I are grateful for any technology that makes these procedures safer and accessible to more children.”

Andrew’s story When Andrew Najar had his first full body seizure at age 12, neither he nor his parents had any idea the involuntary laughing spells he’d been having his whole life were also seizures. That big seizure alerted doctors to the fact that Andrew had been living with a rare brain tumour his whole life. The tumour is called a Hypothalamic Hamartoma, and while it wasn’t cancerous, it was putting Andrew’s quality of life at risk.

Andrew was prescribed medication which stopped the major seizures.

However, he continued to be plagued with the laughing outbursts or gelastic seizures — sometimes a dozen a day. The episodes left him tired and nervous, never knowing when he might have another one. He didn’t like to present in front of his class and knew he was missing out on things his friends were doing, like learning to drive.

While conventional surgery was discussed as a potential treatment, open

Andrew Najar, 8 weeks post surgery and seizure free, with his proud and supportive parents, Silverio (left) and Lourdes (right).

procedures come with a 25-50 percent chance of impacting vital brain functions.

In Andrew’s case, any attempt to remove the lesion from his brain meant operating within six to eight millimetres of his pituitary gland and memory centre. His family decided against surgery at that time, optimistic that something better was on the horizon. That “something” was Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy, and little did the Najar family know that people in our community were already donating so generously to make LITT a reality.

Two years ago, Andrew’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Hader, approached the Najar family about LITT. He explained how his team was working to bring the technology to Calgary where it could benefit kids just like Andrew.

LITT would allow Dr. Hader to perfectly target Andrew’s seizures with less than a millimetre accuracy and safely eradicate the lesion with no harm to his brain. To Andrew and his parents, this

was the answer they’d been hoping for.

Thanks to community donations through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Calgary Health Foundation, LITT arrived in Calgary in early 2020 and is housed at the Foothills Medical Centre where it can help both children and adult patients in the first Canadian Epilepsy Surgery Brain Suite.

On August 25th, the eve of his 18th birthday, Andrew underwent his ground-breaking LITT procedure and became only the second kid in western Canada with a Hypothalamic Hamartoma to benefit from the therapy.

“Andrew got the best birthday present of all — his first day free of seizures,” says Dr. Hader. We are pleased to share that Andrew has been seizure-free ever since the surgery.

“I thought I’d have seizures for my whole life,” says Andrew. “Now I can do anything. I can actually learn to drive one day.”

Did you know?

40% of children with epilepsy are unresponsive to current medications.

Approximately one third of all children with uncontrolled epilepsy are good candidates for brain surgery.

Brain surgery can rid a child of the majority of their seizures or stop them altogether in up to 50-70% of children.

Adults with epilepsy are nearly two times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than those without.

Watch the Global News story about this new laser surgery: childrenshospital.ab.ca/LITT

CHILDRENSHOSPITAL. AB.CA

YOUR IMPACT

Special Children’s Fund What if your child was sick and you didn’t have enough money to pay for transportation to the hospital, a hot meal or even medication? Now more than ever, families are seeing health and economic crises collide.

Sadly, with more people in our community facing job losses and mounting financial pressures, there are an increasing number of families who cannot afford basic essentials. For those families of children in medical crisis who rely on the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the double stress can be too much to bear.

“The economic situation in Alberta for the last several years has been tremendously tough,” says Catherine Morrison, Patient Care Manager. “We were suffering even before we went into COVID.” This means there was already a greater number of families who needed help with expenses such as food, parking, specialized medical equipment, prescriptions or transportation and accommodation for those from out of town. The Special Children’s Fund (SCF) was already operating at maximum capacity, says Morrison; the need was already great.

While the pandemic unfolded and strict rules and safety measures were rolled out in a hurry, the challenges for families grew. With schools and daycares closed, children were at home.

Many parents’ work situations were changed or interrupted and some lost their jobs altogether and faced a new and sudden level of economic insecurity.

Provincial health regulations meant that, for a time, only one adult could accompany a child into the hospital, and the family accommodation suites that are usually provided to out-oftown parents and siblings were not JUST 4 KIDS – FALL 2020

“Families were trying to adjust to COVID while simultaneously dealing with the stress of having a sick child and unfortunately all of our normal ways of supporting them at bedside were shut down.”

— Catherine Morrison, Patient Care manager available. Emily’s Backyard — a free, child-minding service for patients and siblings — was closed. In some cases, families had to adjust their household expenses just to afford a babysitter while they took one of their kids to hospital. For low-income families, that might have meant choosing between paying their rent or buying groceries and ensuring their children got the care they needed.

“Families were trying to adjust to COVID while simultaneously dealing with the stress of having a sick child and unfortunately all of our normal ways of supporting them at bedside were shut down,” says Morrison.

“However, with community donations, we were able to continue supporting families through the SCF in new and different ways.”

One of the biggest areas of need throughout the pandemic has been accommodation so families of children receiving care at the hospital can be nearby. On top of the challenges of COVID-19, the cost of renting accommodations or getting a hotel could be completely overwhelming and financially draining for families, especially those with children requiring longterm care or ongoing treatment, says Morrison. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the SCF has paid for more than $13,300 worth of hotel stays for eligible families over the last several months.

In the same timeframe, the SCF has covered nearly $25,000 in expenses for things such as meals, taxi fares, medication, specialized equipment and shuttle services, all to support families facing a perfect storm of stressors.

“All these things add up,” says Morrison. “And for families already consumed by worry about their child’s health, these unexpected expenses shouldn’t be top of mind. These families need to focus on their kids and that’s why it’s so wonderful that our community makes the SCF possible.

The peace of mind it offers families, especially during these extra challenging times, is a huge gift.”

This year, money raised through the Children’s Hospital Lottery supported the Special Children’s Fund. Thanks to the hard work of our friends at the Kinsmen Club of the Stampede City and the generosity of everyone who purchased a ticket, the lotto sold out in record time!

An unexpected stay in Calgary was made easier for Brynlee’s worried parents thanks to donors like you!

Your support is making a difference for families like Brynlee’s On June 22, Carissa and Mitch Brummelhuis were thrilled to welcome their third child, Brynlee, to the world.

However, what should have been one of the happiest times of their lives quickly became one of the scariest, when Brynlee was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

CDH is when a hole in the diaphragm muscle allows organs in the lower part of the torso — such as stomach, intestines and liver — to migrate into the chest cavity. Though CDH is often diagnosed in utero, Brynlee’s case came as a complete surprise following her birth in Lethbridge and she was whisked away to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary for surgery.

Brynlee arrived in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Mitch’s busy season running the family farm — the first year on his own following his dad’s retirement. News that she required emergency surgery so far from their home in Vauxhall made an already stressful time even moreso.

“Things happened so unexpectedly, it was really difficult,” says Carissa.

With strict safety measures in place due to the pandemic, the main options for families to stay near their kids receiving care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital were extremely reduced.

Ronald McDonald House was not operating at full capacity and the suites inside the hospital that are typically available for out-of-town families to stay in during their child’s treatment were closed. This meant Brynlee’s parents would be forced to find their own accommodations at their own expense — just one more stressor on top of everything else they were facing.

Fortunately, Carissa and Mitch were connected with the Family and Community Resource Centre (FCRC) at the hospital where they learned about the Special Children’s Fund. The team at the FCRC worked quickly to get the family approved for a hotel stay so they could be at their daughter’s bedside.

Thanks to community support, they were able to spend two weeks in a hotel without having to worry about the cost — they could simply focus on Brynlee’s recovery.

“It was a breath of fresh air when we felt like we were drowning,” says Carissa.

Today, Brynlee is home with her mom and dad and two older brothers, Marcus and Mason, and is doing well.

Her family has been carefully weaning her off the medications and supports she needed for her recovery and everyone is so happy to have the whole family together at home.

Carissa and Mitch are very grateful for the generosity of people who give to the Alberta Children’s Hospital and specifically the Special Children’s Fund.

It was something they never could have anticipated needing, however they’re so happy the support was available when they did.

“Throughout everything, we’ve had the support of our community,” says Carissa. “Family and friends have helped us out, but to have a whole other community behind us – a community of people who don’t even know us – is absolutely amazing. It brings me to tears to think about how compassionate and selfless those people are.”

CHILDRENSHOSPITAL. AB.CA

KIDS HELPING KIDS

Birthday HERO Make your birthday big news!

While your birthday may seem a little different this year, it can still make a big difference for the kids at the Alberta Children’s Hospital! So many people have been asking us how they can help the kids and staff at the hospital through the pandemic. This is a super easy way that’s lots of fun!

Anyone — of any age — can be a Birthday HERO! It’s a great way to inspire everyone in your neighbourhood and all your friends and family to do the same.

Ellie

is having a HERO birthday in support of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. th

Happy

6

birthday!

childrenshospital.ab.ca

Here’s how it works: 1

Go to childrenshospital.ab.ca/ KidsHelpingKids. Click on How to Help Birthday Hero.

2

Create your Birthday HERO fundraiser page and encourage everyone to make a donation to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in honour of your birthday. Every gift will support important programs, equipment and research to make life better for sick and injured kids and their families in our community.

3

Once your page is created, one of our fabulous volunteers will bring an awesome Birthday HERO lawn sign to your home.

Put it in your front yard to let everyone know you’re celebrating your birthday in a very special way this year. You can personalize it with your name and age.

4

Send us a picture of you with your lawn sign and we’ll post it on the video screens around the hospital to encourage the patients and staff and let them know that amazing people like you are supporting them through these difficult days. childrenshospital.ab.ca/KidsHelpingKids

JUST 4 KIDS – FALL 2020

Jodi Baker has always strived to instill a philanthropic spirit in her little girl. When Ellie realized that there might be children with COVID in the Alberta Children’s Hospital this summer, she earnestly asked her mom, “How can I really help those kids?”

With her sixth birthday coming up, they decided that Ellie would be a Kids Helping Kids Birthday Hero and ask for donations to the hospital instead of presents this year. “She wasn’t the least bit concerned about not getting gifts,” says Jodi. “I was so proud of how she was only thinking of others.”

In responsible COVID fashion, friends and family were invited to parade by Ellie at the end of her driveway where she stood collecting coins as they were tossed from the passing vehicles into a large bucket. It wasn’t long before she gathered a remarkable total of $189 to donate to the hospital.

Donations like these go a long way to support important child life programs which make a stay in the hospital a lot easier for kids to bear. From music and art therapy to computer games and special events, spiritlifting initiatives like these are only possible thanks to the kindness of the community, including Kids Helping Kids Birthday Heroes.

As for Ellie, she had so much fun, she’s looking forward to doing it all again next year. “It made me really happy to help the kids. It was the best birthday ever!”

MEET OUR AMBASSADOR

Champion child Sydnee Doiron Sydnee Doiron, had always been a happy, healthy child and had grown into an avid and talented dancer by the time she was in her teens. That’s why it came as a complete shock to her family when she was diagnosed at the Alberta Children’s Hospital with a serious heart condition and learned she would require major heart surgery at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

Following the operation, when specialists tested her reflexes, there was no response on the right side of her body. An MRI revealed Sydnee had suffered a massive stroke, which was a very unlikely risk of the surgery. Her mom, Michelle, vividly remembers the neurologist showing her the scan of Sydnee’s brain and saying the white areas showed where the brain was damaged. All Michelle could see was white.

When Sydnee woke up, she couldn’t speak, read, recognize letters of the alphabet or even remember her sister’s name. Her entire right side was paralyzed. She recognized her mom and dad, but her only ways of communicating with them were eye contact or limited movements.

Sydnee was transferred back to the Alberta Children’s Hospital where she began a very long

road of rehabilitation. Getting her vocabulary and ability to speak back involved hard work with speech language pathologists, as she literally needed to re-learn her ABCs. She also began working with physiotherapists each day to help her learn to walk again. In the beginning, it took all of her strength and energy just to sit up in bed for a few minutes. Gradually, she learned to pull herself up, then stand with assistance, then take a few steps with a walker and eventually, put one foot in front of the other on her own. She worked extensively with occupational therapists to redevelop her fine motor skills. Little things many people take for granted — like picking up a small object — posed huge challenges for Sydnee.

She also met pediatric neurologist Dr. Adam Kirton and his team, who began further treatment using a robotic device called the KINARM. This robot allowed Sydnee to play video games designed to help her motor and sensory recovery.

“It was inspiring to see how committed Sydnee was to gain as much mobility as possible,” says Dr. Kirton. “She is an incredible example of strength, courage and determination.”

She lived on Unit 4 for more than two months, where she met some amazing nurses and she also began attending Gordon Townsend School, located right inside the hospital. Through the school, Sydnee was able to play in the annual wheelchair hockey tournament against her heroes, the Calgary Flames.

Though Sydnee still faces challenges each day, she and her family are so grateful for their compassionate caregivers at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Because of the care of these special people, Sydnee is not only walking and talking again, she’s back to living her life. She’s learned to write and play trumpet with her left hand, since her right (and dominant) hand was compromised by the stroke, she’s back to some classes at her high school, she’s teaching dance to younger kids and after a great amount of determination, she was back surfing on the lake last summer.

Sydnee is thrilled to be the 2020 Champion Child for the Alberta Children’s Hospital as part of the Children’s Miracle Network Champions program. She, along, with her parents, Michelle and Ron, and sister, Kaenna, are very excited for the opportunities ahead and to share their story on behalf of the 100,000 kids and families who rely on care at the hospital each year.

Sydnee Doiron, 2020 Champion Child CHILDRENSHOSPITAL. AB.CA

Support upcoming community fundraising events & campaigns Castellano’s Home for Hope Nov. – Dec.

Fas Gas Campaign Dec. 1 – 31

Purdys Dear Santa Campaign Nov. 1 – Dec. 24

Candy Cane Gala Auction Nov. 22 – Dec. 4 candycanegala.com

Long & McQuade Music Therapy Campaign Nov. 1 – Dec. 31 Williams-Sonoma Holiday Campaign Nov. 2 – Dec. 13 Lids Campaign Nov. 12 – Dec. 31 Walmart Spark a Miracle Campaign Dec. 1 – Dec. 24 childrenshospital.ab.ca/Events

Return undeliverable Canadian address to: 28 Oki Drive NW Calgary, AB T3B 6A8

NES Global Talent Virtual Robert Burns Supper Jan. 30, 2021 Country 105 Caring for Kids Radiothon Feb. 3 – 5, 2021 kidsradiothon.com

Kids like Lenroy benefit from the best in care, programs and research at the Alberta Children’s Hospital all thanks to people like you.

Read his story and consider making your end of year donation today: childrenshospital.ab.ca/Lenroy