the

FOUNDATION

report

Spring 2019

Jessica Hutchings and her daughter, Spencer-Elizabeth.

In This Issue: Message from Our board chair Page 2

PRACTICING FAMILY MEDICINE IN LONG-TERM CARE Page 2

INSPIRED TO GIVE: EVELYN’S STORY Page 3

SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN & CHILDREN’S HEALTH Page 4

SPENCER-ELIZABETH HUTCHINGS: THE GIRL WHO DID IT “It shouldn’t have happened” and “she shouldn’t have lived.” When Jessica Hutchings talks about the violent assault that triggered her daughter’s premature birth, she wrestles with the trauma and triumphs that bookend Spencer-Elizabeth’s birth story. In spite of the rockiest possible start in life, the smart, gentle, funny, blonde-haired girl not only survived but she thrives. Spencer can light up a room in the blink of an eye. Getting her to where she is today, however, has been a struggle. It all began in the fall of 2015 when, during the second trimester of an otherwise easy pregnancy, Jessica was punched. Continued on page 5.

Message from our Board Chair In the mid-1990s, my daughter, Sally, was diagnosed with a heart condition. Like Jessica Hutchings (cover story) I learned first-hand the challenges of mothering a sick child. Back then, Kingston’s hospitals didn’t have the right equipment to treat Sally. We travelled between Toronto and Ottawa until care close to home became a reality and Sally’s last, and most successful, treatment was performed right here in Kingston. Neither the Hutchings’ story, nor my daughter’s story, would be possible

Elizabeth Wilson Board Chair, UHKF

without the generous support of our donors. I feel unbelievably grateful for the advancements in patient care, donors like you, have helped to bring about. Celebrating progress, specifically in women and children’s health, is the theme of this issue of the Foundation Report. From Labour and Delivery, to neonatal intensive care, to pediatrics, to gynecological surgeries, the future for women and children in southeastern Ontario looks healthier all the time. Seasons of challenge will still be ours to face, though—as individuals struggling with health and as a community striving to build the hospital of the future. Thankfully we have a long history that shows us exactly how to overcome them: a relentless commitment to innovation paired with outstanding generosity.

PRACTICING MEDICINE IN LONG-TERM CARE For nearly a decade, Queen’s Family Medicine has partnered with Providence Care’s long-term care home, Providence Manor, to offer an innovative medical residency program. “We have about 50 new medical residents coming in every year for a two-year residency,” says Dr. David Barber, who oversees the program. Among the many benefits is the continuity of care it provides for Providence Manor residents. “For these young physicians to be able to follow people in the home for a full year is quite unique,” says Dr. Barber. Learning to strike the right balance between quality of life and medical interventions is the biggest challenge of the training. “Long-term care is a different type of practice,” says Dr. Barber, “and there’s very little exposure to it in medical school.”

Now that’s a powerful combination!

2 | SPRING 2019

UHKF’s annual Benefit Dinner

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK STAR!

Join us on March 23, 2019 at Ban Righ Hall for UHKF’s annual Benefit Dinner. Live entertainment will feature the greatest music throughout history. Don’t miss this fun opportunity to dress as your favourite music legend. For more information, visit uhkf.ca.

The fixing and investigating that dominate other types of medicine often take a back seat to comfort and quality of life in long-term care. “It’s not a lesser quality of care,” he says, “but the focus is different.” Dr. Barber says, “pain control is hugely important” as is “managing the symptoms of dementia.” The increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment among long-term care residents creates additional challenges for the medical community. “There are a lot of alternate decision-makers. Involving families in care decisions and being mindful of communicating with them is a big part of the training.” From what he’s seen Dr. Barber says these young doctors enjoy their time at Providence Manor and the opportunity to hear residents’ life stories. “It always comes down to connecting with the people, which is the real joy of medicine.”

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Evelyn Maizen, Evergreen Society Member

Eveyln Maizen: The Time is Now In the spring of 1991, my husband, Arny, was admitted to Kingston General Hospital (KGH) for serious breathing difficulties. He was placed in an induced coma and an interaction of medications caused all the muscle tissue in his body to dissolve. It took nine months, but thanks to the care he received, Arny was able to regenerate his muscles. About a week after his release, Arny returned to the hospital where we learned that his heart had been irreparably damaged. He needed a heart transplant but wasn’t a good candidate. “The next five years could be the best five years,” I said. In the end, we got 12. The experience of Arny’s hospitalization forever bonded us to health care as a serious philanthropic cause. When I tell people that we all desire and deserve excellent health care I speak from deeply personal experience. On one of my many visits to our hospitals in those years, I saw the Evergreen Tree and was impressed by the list of members of the Evergreen Society—people who had named UHKF in their wills, and agreed to be recognized publicly. My first reaction was “We need to be on that list!” I wanted people to see our names to inspire them and think; “If they can do it, so can I.” Continued on page 6.

Knights of Columbus give $50,000 to Providence Care’s Providence Manor The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation is grateful to the Knights of Columbus for its support for long-term care. This investment will help to ensure the new Providence Manor is a state-of-the art home, built to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of residents and their families well into the future.

Spotlight on Redevelopment: Women & Children’s Health When you say “Women and Children’s Health” do you really mean “Women and Babies?” Approximately 2,000 babies are born at Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s KGH site each year so Labour and Delivery is always top of mind. But we actually care for women and children at all stages of life: from outpatient Fertility Services to the 16 yearold oncology inpatient to the 68 year-old urogynecology surgical inpatient. What is the difference between Connell 5 and Kidd 5? In addition to providing both vaginal and surgical labour

and delivery care, Connell 5 is the emergency department for women that are more than 20 weeks pregnant. Kidd 5 on the other hand has functioned solely as KHSC’s Post-partum Care Unit and served mothers who have delivered or are awaiting delivery. This past year we moved gynecology postoperative care to Kidd 5 to improve service to women of all ages. What are people most surprised to learn about your program? The pediatric program may be Kingston’s best-kept secret. We care for children from birth to age 18: from the 1-week-old

4 | SPRING 2019

requiring special light therapy to the 16 year-old with critical injuries to the child requiring inpatient cancer care to the longer-stay complex patient. The skill set of our team is extraordinary. How will the new patient tower at KHSC transform the Women & Children’s Health Program? The greatest improvement will be the gift of space; better rooms with more privacy. This will transform the care experience for parents of critically ill children, post-operative patients, and care teams alike. Stacey Wolfrom is KHSC’s Program Operational Director for Women and Children’s Programs

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SPENCER-ELIZABETH HUTCHINGS: THE GIRL WHO DID IT Continued from page 1. By Halloween, she was suffering from numerous complications and her unborn child’s heartbeat had become almost undetectable. Jessica’s medical team set out a 48-hour timeline to delivery, which allowed for critical injections to bolster the struggling infant’s lung development. “Doctors said there was a small chance of survival,” says Jessica, “and if she survived she might have cerebral palsy and possibly be blind and deaf.” Jessica knew the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) Kingston General Hospital site Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) could offer her baby hope and a fighting chance and “that’s where we wanted her to go.” Spencer-Elizabeth was born on November 2, 2015, by caesarian section at twenty-six weeks and six days. Weighing a mere 1 pound, 4 ounces, Jessica says her daughter “was the size of a 22-weeker.” During her 123-day stay in the NICU Spencer had many life-saving interventions including 5 | WINTER 2018

sedation for a brain bleed and numerous blood and platelet transfusions.

challenges they have faced and the ones they may continue to face.

The months of November and December were “touchand-go” but by the new year, the Hutchings learned that Spencer’s eyesight and hearing were good. “We had hope,” says Jessica. “Doctors told us she could end up overcoming her bronchial dysplasia” but after a stay in the pediatric ward in 2017, Spencer was diagnosed with asthma and the Hutchings have accepted their daughter will never have healthy lungs. Monitoring for cerebral palsy is ongoing.

“If it wasn’t for the nurses,” insists Jessica, “I am positive we wouldn’t have come through it. In Labour and Delivery they saw me at my worst and they were my friend when I needed a friend.” Social work also played a critical role in helping Jessica navigate the many consequences of prematurity: from securing benefits, to home support equipment. “To have done that on my own, I wouldn’t have even known where to start.”

Nowadays Jessica celebrates whenever Spencer reaches a new milestone, but anxieties about her daughter’s future health are always with her. From a complicated labour and delivery, to a long stay in the NICU, to ongoing care in pediatrics, Jessica credits the wraparound effect of staff across the Women and Children’s Health program at KHSC for helping her family overcome the many

“

Like many mothers and daughters, Jessica and Spencer-Elizabeth like to stay busy. “We do too many programs,” she says. The pair had recently completed a Home Depot Kids Workshop where Spencer made a ferry boat. Wearing a pink tutu and the iconic “I did it!” button pinned to her cardigan, she waves goodbye. The girl who “shouldn’t have lived” has indeed done it. She has beaten the odds and earned her badge in more ways than one.

In Labour and Delivery they saw me at my worst and they were my friend when I needed a friend. - Jessica Hutchings

the

FOUNDATION

report spring 2019

hope to “Icelebrate when

Eveyln Maizen: The Time is Now Continued from page 3.

the ribbon for the new tower is cut and that my current gifts, combined with my legacy gifts, will help to give this community the care it deserves.

”

- Evelyn Maizen, Everygreen Society Member

Money was tight then. A legacy gift was a good option. even a small but symbolic percentage of our estate wouldn’t be a life-changing amount for our sons but could be a decisive amount for the hospital. Our hospitals can offer the care available to us today because thousands of citizens contributed millions of dollars over many years. Where would we be without those loyal donors? Today, our next step is to build a new patient tower at the KGH site. I hope to celebrate when the ribbon for the new tower is cut and that my current gifts, combined with my legacy gifts, will help to give this community the care it deserves. The time is now!

HEATWAVE Motown Dance Party The fun-filled afternoon raised $12,610 that will be shared equally between Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s (KHSC) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario. The familyfriendly event was a big success and featured three bands: HEATWAVE, Old Docs New Tricks and the She Sings choir.

uhkf.ca 55 Rideau Street, Suite 4 Kingston ON, K7K 2Z8 613.549.5452 uhkf.ca