Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan Winter/Spring 2017
Holiday Gift Giving Made Easy
Meet Calla Former NICU baby is Saskatchewan’s new child ambassador
Inside the New Children’s Hospital
CHILDREN’S CONNECTION
Volume 1 Issue 1
What’s
A publication of
Our Mission: The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan is dedicated to raising funds for the enhancement of maternal and children’s healthcare and the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan. Our Address: 1 - 345 Third Ave S Saskatoon, SK S7K 1M6 childrenshospitalsask.ca
Inside 4
INSIDE THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Special new spaces coming to the children’s hospital thanks to the generosity of donors like you.
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PROGRESS UPDATE The latest on construction and fundraising efforts for your new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan.
Contact Us: 306.931.4887 or 1.888.808.KIDS (5437)
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From toys, crafts, and teaching tools to heart monitors, find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
facebook.com/CHFSask
@Childhospitalsk
GIFT GIVING MADE EASY
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ON THE COVER Former NICU baby beats the odds and is this year’s Champion Child ambassador.
@CHFSask
Our Charitable Number: #13530 9342 RR0001
Be Green! Sign up
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for our eNewsletter at childrenshospitalsask.ca and please recycle this copy.
FEATURE STORY Sharing the love! Pediatric cardiologists bring new heart treatment to Saskatchewan.
No part of this publication may be copied or reprinted without written consent. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please contact us 306.931.4887 or 1.888.808.5437. Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan does not sell, trade or lease the personal information of its donors.
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YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK Saskatchewan Kids Heart Camp is a First in Canada. WINTER/SPRING 2017 CHILDRENSHOSPITALSASK.CA 3
I N S I D E T H E H O S P I TA L
What’s
New
NEW FAMILY ROOM FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AREVA Resources Canada has donated $500,000 to support a Family Room in the Maternal Care Centre at the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan. This generous contribution to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan’s Capital Campaign means that pregnant women and their families will have a home-away-from-home right outside their hospital room doors when they deliver their babies. Complete with a dining space, comfortable lounge furniture, and a large television, the AREVA Family Room will offer a homelike environment for family members awaiting the arrival of their new bundle of joy. It will also provide positive distraction and comfort to those in wait, along with privacy and discretion when uncertainties arise.
NEW PLAY ROOM FOR KIDS WITH SERIOUS ILLNESSES Families with children going through treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses will have a special space in the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan. Duane and Bev Smith of Swift Current have donated $500,000 to support a Family Play Room in the Day Medicine Unit, which will provide infusion therapy for children requiring treatment on an outpatient basis. Located on the main floor of the provincial maternal and children’s hospital, the Family Play Room will provide a comfortable environment for families to rest, relax, and play so they can be with their child while infusions are taking place.
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Construction on Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan is now 33 per cent complete. Ground was broken for Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan construction in September of 2014 to complete the building foundation and pilings. Main building construction began in the fall of 2015. Now just over a year later, the concrete and steel structure of the 400,000 square foot (approximately 38,000 square meter) building is nearing completion. The hospital is almost built up to its maximum height. The concrete structure is being completed to the fifth floor and structural steel will be placed on the fifth floor to support a rooftop enclosure, which will contain all the building’s air handling units. On top of the enclosure is where the helipad will be located. The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan has raised $54 million in the capital campaign with a total goal of $75 million. The hospital is already changing Saskatoon’s skyline along the South Saskatchewan river valley.
Dedicated supporters of the Foundation, Duane and Bev Smith first contributed $100,000 as a dollar-for-dollar match at the 2015 Children’s Hospital Radiothon in Regina and have since boosted their commitment.
PREGNANT WOMEN IN SASKATOON TO RECEIVE FEWER PAINFUL NEEDLE POKES A new portable Anesthesia Ultrasound will be used on moms-to-be when IV access is difficult, a common occurrence amongst pregnant women, particularly in those women with a larger body size. Inserting an IV without this device subjects patients to unnecessary pain from multiple attempts to place critical IV lines. The equipment, which cost approximately $33,000, was funded in partnership by the Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation and an equipment grant from the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan.
PROGRESS UPDATE: CONSTRUCTION ON NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL 1/3 COMPLETE
Donors Duane & Bev Smith
, we can’’ t wait
Please donate today.
childrenshospitalsask.ca
GIFT GIVING MADE EASY
Help children express themselves this season...
Provide art supplies to pediatric departments in Saskatoon and Regina, allowing children in hospital the opportunity for creative expression and an escape from their medical problems.
$20/share
Make a monthly gift...
Support the most critical maternal and pediatric needs facing Saskatchewan children, moms and families. PotashCorp Kids Club is an easy way to meet your annual giving goals, and you will receive a cumulative tax receipt issued annually.
G I V E
HOPE
The countdown is on to the holidays, but there’s still time to find a meaningful gift for everyone on your list. Give a gift that really matters this season by shopping the Making Spirits Bright Holiday Giving Catalogue. This year’s catalogue includes craft and art supplies for kids in pediatrics, toys and teaching tools, along with shares in fetal heart monitors and no-poke respiratory equipment for the provincial Pediatric Transport Team, which sees over 300 trips per year. With the help of hundreds of donors across Saskatchewan like you last year, over $40,000 was raised the Making Spirits Bright Holiday Giving catalogue. Donations helped purchase
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$20+/month
Bring joy to kids in hospital this season...
T h i s Ho l i d ay S e a s o n
Give the gift of play to a child in hospital. Your gift will deliver smiles for the holidays when you purchase new toys and teaching tools for the playrooms and in-room activities in the pediatrics departments in both Saskatoon and Regina.
$40/share
Making Spirits Bright Campaign Returns Bring peace of mind to new moms this season... art supplies, toys, infant warmers, and rocking chairs for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The 3rd annual holiday giving campaign runs throughout the month of December with 100% of your gift staying in Saskatchewan to help kids right here at home. All gifts come with a free customizable e-card. Shop the gift catalogue today: childrenshospitalsask.ca. Year-round gift giving is also available for special occasions and events including Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.
Our maternal department provides care for around 5,600 mothers and their newborns every year. Fetal heart monitors are required to track the heart rate of the baby, so health care providers can tell if a baby is doing well or is in distress.
$100/share
Help babies breathe easier this season...
The Heated Humidified High-Flow Nasal Cannula is used to provide non-invasive respiratory support for children in respiratory distress. Having this life-saving, non-invasive equipment available to the Pediatric Transport Team will help them bring a traveling Intensive Care Unit to every child in S askatchewan, regardless of where they live.
$75/share
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COVER STORY
Calla Meet
It’s the kind of phone call that strikes fear into the heart of any parent. Derek was no exception when his wife Vicki called to let him know that, at 27 weeks into her pregnancy, she had gone straight from a routine Monday morning doctor’s appointment to the emergency department. Labour was imminent. For five days, medical staff did everything they could to delay labour. The inevitable happened though and baby Calla came, weighing only 2 pounds, 5 ounces, in spite of doctors’ best efforts.
12 year-old Calla Gross, 2016/2017 Saskatchewan ambassador for the Champions Program presented by Walmart Canada.
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With the medical team trying to stabilize their newborn baby, Derek and Vicki only had a moment to touch their tiny daughter’s hand through the isolette before she was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The next two months were a blur with the new family consumed with doing everything they could to get baby Calla healthy enough to leave the hospital. “Until you’re in it, you don’t even know that place exists. It’s a foreign place. It’s very intimidating and overwhelming with so many sights and sounds and so many
babies in there,” says Calla’s dad Derek. “The biggest thing for us, as first-time parents, you feel a huge responsibility but in that environment you’re pretty much helpless. You want to support and take care of your child but you’re only there to watch and listen to the beeps and blood pressure and oxygen levels.” That experience forever changed the family, inspiring Calla and her parents to give back. Calla, now 12, joins the Children’s Hospital Radiothon every year and has gathered thousands of dollars through the donation of piggy bank funds, birthday money, and funds collected from family and friends.
I raise money because I know what it is like to be in the hospital. I want other kids’ experiences to be not so scary. Calla, who has very mild cerebral palsy and wears ankle-support braces, has faced all of her challenges with courage and determination. Through physiotherapy, horseback riding, and exercises
with her parents, Calla has become increasingly strong, independent and determined to create a better future for other kids. In September, Calla was selected as this year’s Saskatchewan ambassador for the Champions Program presented by Walmart Canada. She will represent sick and injured children at events across North America. “There was a time in hospital where we wondered if she would be able to walk and if her brain would be functioning,” explains Derek. “She was always so tough and spirited. To see how far she has come, we’re just so proud of her and how she’s giving back. I don’t think there are any limits to what she can do.”
Calla holds a picture of herself as a preemie at only 2 days old. WINTER/SPRING 2017 CHILDRENSHOSPITALSASK.CA 9
MEET OUR DOCTORS
FIXING HEARTS Saskatchewan Kids Cardiologists Spearhead New Treatment in Western Canada
Dr. Charissa Pockett says that she has the best job in the world. And that job is becoming even more rewarding now that fewer Saskatchewan kids with heart conditions need to travel out of province for care. Pockett recently returned from a yearlong interventional fellowship where she trained in San Diego in the pediatric cardiac Catheterization Lab (or Cath Lab for short) at Rady’s Children’s Hospital. It has allowed the team to provide more advanced care for Saskatchewan kids without them ever leaving home.
“The cardiology team is now able to do liver biopsies, which is particularly helpful for single ventricle patients, which is children who basically have half a functioning heart,” explains Pockett. “A long term risk of the surgeries that these children have to go through can put their livers at risk. We’ve started doing liver biopsies to look at the overall health of the liver and we’re discovering a lot of new information about these patients. This is really up and coming, screening, diagnostic, and prevention work.” While several medical centers in the United States are doing this cutting-edge treatment, it’s still considered ground-breaking in Western
Canada. Pockett’s training is, in part, in preparation for the opening of the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan in 2019. The original plans for Saskatchewan’s children’s hospital didn’t call for a Cath Lab but thanks to a generous $3 million gift by the David and Karen Holst Family Foundation to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, the new provincial hospital will now be equipped with its own dedicated Cath Lab for kids. Pediatric patients currently use the adult lab to correct many heart defects to avoid the need for open heart surgery.
Families will have to wait less time to get procedures done and they’re going to be in an environment that is completely child and family friendly. “As kids they are visitors to the adult Cath Lab. We do our best to make adult centered space and equipment work for us and our patients,” explains Pockett, who is originally from Dauphin, Manitoba. “Having our own Cath Lab will increase accessibility for our patients and allow us to provide better overall pediatric cardiac care. Families will have to wait less time to get procedures done and they’re going to be in an environment that is completely child and family friendly. “Our patient care and the patient’s experience is going to improve drastically.”
Children dealing with congenital or acquired heart disease from all over the province are referred to Pockett and her three colleagues. Part of the work in the lab is the actual physical fixing of the heart, such as closing holes in the heart or opening valves. Other procedures are to gather information to plan for upcoming heart surgeries or to check the health of the heart after surgeries or heart transplants. “Far more kids with heart problems are being identified before birth and kids are surviving longer compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Going forward we will be able to do so much more for our patients and expect that more and more of them will be able to live long, happy, healthy lives,” explains Pockett, who, along with the other pediatric cardiologists, travels to Regina once a week to treat young patients in southern Saskatchewan. “I get to meet children and see them grow up and their families evolve. I see children and their families at the very worst, most stressful times of their lives and then help them overcome that,” says Dr. Pockett. “It’s terrible to see kids who are sick but I remind myself that this problem would have happened whether I’m here or not to witness it. It’s my privilege to make that experience easier on families in any way I can and do everything I can to give that child the best opportunity to overcome adversity and go on to do great things in this world.”
To support maternal and children’s healthcare in Saskatchewan, donate at childrenshospitalsask.ca or call 1.888.808.KIDS (5437)
Dr. Pockett and pediatric patient, Jaden.
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YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK CHAMPS participant listens to his heart.
HEALTHY HEART CAMP CHAMPS Camp a First of Its Kind in Canada
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CHAMPS participants.
A ground-breaking week-long pediatric heart camp in Saskatchewan just may be a vital first step in developing a Canada-wide chronic disease management program.
another child with a congenital heart defect. It’s important for them to have a peer group to develop relationships.”
CHAMPS Healthy Heart Camp, focuses on the unique needs of the approximately 2,000 children in Saskatchewan living with congenital heart defects (CHD). It was launched last year as a pilot project at the University of Saskatchewan. The week-long summer day camp, funded by the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, returned this summer with 20 children from communities across Saskatchewan.
Targeted to children ages 7-15, CHAMPS includes physical activity, nutrition sessions, work with a clinical child psychologist, and swimming, which is a highlight for many of the young participants.
The camp investigates the body composition, cardiovascular, and mental health of children with congenital heart defects. “The kids have fun, but it’s research-based,” explains lead researcher Dr. Marta Erlandson. “CHAMPS is not just about intervention and better health, but giving these kids the opportunities to build friendships and gain confidence. Many of the participants have never had a chance to meet
“The vast majority of kids in the program have had open heart surgery and many of them have been self-conscious about their scars and were nervous,” says Erlandson, who is an associate professor in the College of Kinesiology. “When they saw that everyone else had scars too, it was really interesting for them to compare and talk about their experiences. I think it made them aware that they are not alone.” While there are similar style camps across the country for other medical conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, and cancer, this is the first targeted to children with congenital heart defects.
“We’re finding with the research that there was a real lack of general information about children with these conditions,” says Erlandson. “We’re really trying to understand what the limitations are so that we can determine what kind of things we need to have pediatric cardiologists encourage children and parents to do.” Erlandson hopes to be able to create a sustainable program for children with congenital heart defects and continue to measure their health outcomes. “We’re so proud to support the work of Saskatchewan researchers and projects like CHAMPS, “says Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. “The discoveries being made through this groundbreaking program will help pilot new, innovative care for an important national pediatric health issue.”
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Thank You!
What’s
Happening FEB
1-3
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RADIOTHON
The 15th annual Children’s Hospital Radiothon presented by your local SaskEnergy Network Member returns to Saskatoon! Tune in for exciting prizes by Hillberg & Berk, the Air Canada Foundation, and more. Start your own Personal Fundraising Page at childrenshospitalsask.ca to support urgent equipment needs for moms, kids, and families in Saskatchewan right now.
ON
THE BRICK
NOW
Get your adorable Brickley or Bricklea bears at The Brick locations across Saskatchewan for just $20! Watch for in-store promotions supporting Children’s Miracle Network or make your donation right at the till.
APR
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CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL JEANS & JEWELS GALA
Get ready to be transported into a magical botanical garden at the Jeans & Jewels Gala presented by Mosaic! Amongst the leaves, bid on your most desired jewels and gifts, and share a fun evening of dinner and dancing. Order your tickets online now…they won’t last! 14 CHILDRENSHOSPITALSASK.CA WINTER/SPRING 2017
CROSSMOUNT PRINCESS GALA
Presented by:
FEB
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The most adorable event of the year! Dust off your tiara, slip on your princess slippers, and put on your dress for the 1st Annual Crossmount Princess Gala. There will be a meet and greet with real princesses, a dance floor, photo booth, dinner, and much more! Princesses & princes of all ages welcome. Visit: theglenatcrossmount.ca.
WHAT A RUSH!
FEB
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The 2nd annual Saskatchewan Rush Children’s Hospital Game Night sponsored by TD returns as the Rush take on the Calgary Roughnecks. One-of-a-kind Rush t-shirts will be on sale and the team will play in special superhero-themed jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game.
DONATE YOUR MILES!
Your incredible generosity helped us raise an amazing $532,313! We couldn’t have achieved this without the help of our donors, media partners, matching donor, families, volunteers and friends across Saskatchewan.
ON
NOW
Donate your Aeroplan Miles to the Air Canada Foundation’s Hospital Transportation Program to help Saskatchewan kids get the treatment they need. You’ll be giving families access to medical treatment unavailable here at home. To donate: aircanada.com/en/about/community/ foundation/
View our Photo Gallery at: childrenshospitalsask.ca
Hopebegins & Healing with you. Donate Today childrenshospitalsask.ca
1-345 Third Ave S, Saskatoon, SK S7K 1M6 | info@chfsask.ca | 306.931.4887 or 1.888.808.5437