STOLLERY Kid s
MY SON HAS BEATEN ALL THE ODDS —
THANKS TO THE STOLLERY
The Stollery Children’s Hospital will always hold a special place in our hearts.
It has been a part of our family’s story since our son, Okimasis, was born.
My name is Sakawiskwew. I come from Onicikiskwapowin — the Saddle Lake Cree Nation.
Okimasis was only three days old when we first felt that something was wrong. He was airlifted from St. Paul to Edmonton, where he was admitted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital.
That’s when an MRI revealed that he’d had a traumatic brain injury due to high glucose levels, which was resulting in epileptic seizures.
At first, I was scared. There was a chance that Okimasis would never walk or talk. Then I remembered my teachings, and I knew that our ways of being and the current health care system could work together to heal my baby son.
And I knew deep down that Okimasis was a fighter.
At the Stollery, we received world-class health care. Whenever we’re there, we’re welcomed and treated well.
Okimasis is twelve years old now. He loves hockey, especially the Edmonton Oilers. He loves
AND YOU!
playing hockey and basketball. He enjoys oskapew — being a helper.
He’s partially blind and still has epilepsy and severe migraines. But he meets every challenge and every obstacle with a zest for life.
Okimasis will be a Stollery kid for his whole childhood. He still sees his Stollery neurology team and his ophthalmologist. Okimasis’s neurologist has cared for him since he was a baby. They’re all a part of his healing journey.
Thanks to the team at the Stollery, Okimasis has been able to beat all the odds.
Whenever I think of the Stollery Children’s Hospital, I think of all the help they’ve provided to heal my son. I think of the kindness in that building, and the healing energy from the doctors and nurses and staff. I think of how hard they work to help all of our babies get well.
To all the people who support the Stollery Children’s Hospital, know that you’re helping with life-changing care for children and their families at the hardest times in their lives. I’m sharing my story to let other families know that this help and healing is out there … and that they are not alone.
Kitatminan — with gratitude, Sakawiskwew, Okimasis’s grateful mom
Spring 2025 Vol. 8
Okimasis now
THE BEACH IS OPEN!
You did it!
Over the last few years, we’ve appealed to our dedicated family of supporters for help raising funds to expand the indoor Saville Family Beach and build the new Enchanted Forest — the Stollery’s first-ever dedicated outdoor play space.
We’re thrilled to report that time and again our donors responded with incredible generosity. They raised $5 million to support these important therapeutic play areas, and now the Saville Family Beach and the Enchanted Forest are open for Stollery kids.
Play is such an important part of children’s happiness and development. We want to make sure that even during long stays in the Hospital, kids get the chance to still be kids.
And that’s what they can do thanks to this impactful renovation. Plus, these spaces give the Stollery Child Life teams a much greater ability to run their important programs — programs that make a huge difference in children’s recovery.
Play has an important role in helping children deal with stressful situations. Active play helps our kids strengthen their bodies and their minds. Best of all, anyone who spends time at the Saville Family Beach or in the Enchanted Forest can see that these areas are already having a profound effect on their well-being.
It’s wonderful to hear the sound of kids at play, right here in our hospital. Now, parents of Stollery kids get to hear a request that all parents are familiar with … “I want to come to the Beach every day!”
Thank you to all the donors who are giving our kids the chance to keep being kids.
CRESCENDO, ignited by Keller Construction Ltd., blends music from some of Alberta's top talent with powerful storytelling — all in support of mental health care at the Stollery Children's Hospital.
Saville Family Beach
Enchanted Forest
WHEN GIVING IS PERSONAL
When Sarah Coenen first became a monthly donor as a member of the Stollery’s Bear Hug Club, she didn’t have any children of her own. She wanted to support the children in our community who needed a hospital that they could go to whenever they needed help.
Sarah had no idea at the time how important the Stollery would become to her own family.
Seven years after she became a monthly supporter, Sarah’s little girl, Adalyn, was born. She was only 3 pounds 8 ounces.
A Stollery neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) team was right there to provide care as soon as baby Adalyn was born. She was quickly assessed, and they decided right away that she needed to be taken up to the NICU.
“We have nothing but amazing things to say about the nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists — everyone. They just focus on these tiny little babies and getting them better.”
Little Adalyn was at the Stollery for over a month. Sarah saw firsthand the work and dedication that go into caring for a sick infant. She also saw how much the nurses and doctors rely on important equipment.
Sarah’s proud of the role her family’s monthly gifts play in helping care for the Stollery’s littlest patients, through funding equipment, special programs, research and training. She knows that a gift of any size really adds up over each year to have tremendous impact.
Sarah now encourages everyone to consider joining her as a monthly supporter, and she has an important message of thanks to pass on to other Bear Hug Club members …
“From the bottom of my heart, as the mom of a little one who needed the Stollery NICU, you never know when you or someone else may need to use this Hospital. Your donations make a big difference in so many children’s lives. Knowing that your donations are going to save and help babies and children each day is something that I really cherish.”
If you would like more information about becoming a Bear Hug Club member, please contact Catrina Hartmann at 780.431.8901or BearHugClub@StolleryKids.com
YOU MADE THIS POSSIBLE!
Thank you! Last April we appealed to our donors to help purchase an important monitor, and we’re happy to report that our nurses and doctors are now putting this vital piece of equipment to use in our operating room.
The NIM Vital Monitor lets the surgical teams at the Stollery keep a close eye on patients’ nerve condition throughout a procedure. This means less risk of nerve damage and a far better recovery.
Adalyn in the NICU
Coenen family
MEET RYDER, OUR 2025 CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK CHAMPION
Hockey and the great outdoors. These are two things 15-year-old Ryder loves the most.
And he gets to enjoy them thanks to the donors who help the Stollery Children’s Hospital’s expert medical teams take excellent care of him.
You’ve heard of a mother’s intuition? From the day he was born, Ryder’s mom, Alisha, just felt like something wasn’t right.
When he was just ten days old, Ryder’s stomach seemed to be swollen, and he was vomiting bile. His parents immediately took him to his local emergency room in Drayton Valley.
Soon after, Ryder was transferred to the Stollery, where doctors discovered a mass in his stomach.
At first they thought it was a cyst, but then they realized it was a second stomach. At just weeks old, baby Ryder
needed emergency surgery as this second stomach was attached to his intestines and interfering with the function of his other organs.
Ryder was put into an induced coma after surgery to let his body heal. But thanks to the dedicated care he received, he made a full recovery.
Today he’s an active teenager, and his whole family remains deeply grateful to the community that supported the Stollery in
