HEROES - Fall 2014 by Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation

STORIES FROM THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION • FALL 2014

BLANKET SOLUTION Cooling treatment is a life saver for babies

YOUNG ACHIEVER 11-year-old fundraiser shows you’re never too young

FAMILY FRIENDLY The Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit lets parents weigh in

Champing at the

BEN WOODLOCK IS THRILLED TO BE WALMART’S NEW CHAMPION CHILD

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PLUS: MIKE WEIR LINKS UP WITH THE STOLLERY

THIS ISSUE OF HEROES IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY YACHIMEC AUTO GROUP

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! u o y k Than

$825,000 raised!

For 15 years, Tee Up for Tots founded by Kevin Lowe and Sam Abouhassan, has helped fund priority projects at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and this year’s sold-out event is no exception. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation has embarked on an ambitious fiveyear fundraising campaign entitled “Critical for Care” to raise $15 million to address operational and integrated needs at the Stollery. The success of this campaign will ensure expanded operative and critical care services and upgraded outpatient care clinics reflect the highest-degree of excellence with respect to programming, research and resources. Thanks to our many Tee Up for Tots supporters, we are a major step closer to meeting our target!

Photo courtesy of Avonlea Photography 2014 Tee Up for Tots Committee Members: Stephen Petasky (Chair), Alan Arnstein, Brent Horn, Nathan Isbister, Noah Jones, Ted Kouri, Kevin McKee, Ashif Mawji, Sean Montgomery, Marshall Sadd, Jodie Wacko, Uwe Walter & Cory Wosnack

15th Annual Tee Up For Tots made possible with the support of our valued Sponsors: Presenting Sponsor

Thank you Thompson Bros. for your support and congratulations on 50 years of building healthier communities. Golf Sponsor

Wheaton Family Foundation

Friday Reception Sponsor

Saturday Banquet Sponsor

Glenn & Sandra Woolsey Champion Sponsors

Norma M. Gordon Investments

EDMONTON KENWORTH LTD.

Golf Cart Sponsor

Photo Sponsor

Stollery Family Sponsor

Wine Sponsor

Fairway Free Activity Sponsor

Golf Pro Sponsor

Welcome Sponsor

Lunch Sponsor

Auctioneer Sponsor

Hole Sponsors

True North

Holdings Inc.

Print Media Sponsor

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Website Sponsor

Special Thanks

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contents FALL 2014

Departments 5 IN THE SWING OF THINGS A message from the president and CEO of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

6 FOUNDATIONS OF LIFE Haida Gwaii Totem Tour; DQ Miracle Treat Day; Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids; and more

Stollery Family

12 TECH FILES

22 AIR APPARENT Heart and Stroke Foundation chair in Neonatal Resuscitation helps NICU infants breathe easier

24 TUNED IN The Stollery’s neonatal transport team acts as a doctor’s eyes and ears en route

26 BABY’S BREATH Respiratory therapist specializing in NICU cases is encouraged by her Stollery patients

37 FAMILY SUPPORT At the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit, families and staff collaborate

Treatment buys babies time and gives parents peace of mind

Features 13 A WOMAN’S PREROGATIVE New female-focused network puts mothers’ perspectives and the Stollery at the forefront

14 BORN TOO SOON World Prematurity Day sheds light on the concerning preemie rate in Canada

16 HE’S A CHAMP Five-year-old Ben is proud to represent northern Alberta’s kids in Toronto and at Disney World

20 A TRUE HERO Family of Stollery alumnus pays tribute to his strength and determination in the face of great challenges

28 VOLUNTEER HERO Fierce inspiration and kids keep this volunteer coming back 17 years later

30 MILESTONE An anchor for the Tee Up For Tots tournament gives credit to the city’s spirit of giving

32 CORPORATE HEROES All-West Glass has shown its dedication with $100,000 pledge to children’s hospitals

38 THE LAST WORD A Valentine’s Day Surprise

34 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON For this resourceful 11-year-old, philanthropy may be in the genes

16 ON THE COVER: Ben Woodlock shines as Champion Child, presented by Walmart PHOTO: Romy Young Photography S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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FALL 2014 VOL 2 • No. 4 STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION ASSOCIATE EDITOR: ALEESHA JEX PRESIDENT & CEO: MIKE HOUSE, MBA, CFRE Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

Row for Kids tops $1 MILLION! With your help, Row for Kids on September 6, 2014 raised more than $180,000 in support of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation and the Edmonton Rowing Club! Congratulations to all our amazing sponsors, rowers, donors, organizing committee members and volunteers who - over the past nine years - have raised more than $1 million in support of children's health and wellness.

On behalf of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, the Edmonton Rowing Club, and the children and their families who will benefit because of Row for Kids, thank you for your valued participation. 2014 sponsors:

BOARD OF TRUSTEE: CHAIR: MARSHALL SADD, Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers Ltd. VICE CHAIR: RICHARD KIRBY, MBA, Felesky Flynn LLP PAST CHAIR: ZAHRA SOMANI, B.Ed, MBA, Pirani Group LAURIE ANDERSON, CMA, WAM Development Group RICHARD BALAN, RTA Holdings Ltd. JONATHAN CHIA, CA, Melcor Developments Ltd. HERBERT CHUI, SIF Asset Management Group Inc. LINDSAY DODD, MBA, Savvia Inc. DOUGLAS GOSS, Q.C., AOE, Bryan & Company LLP NOAH JONES, BA, CFP, CLU, Sorrell Financial ROD MACKENZIE, Legato Resources Ltd. DR. RAYMOND MUZYKA LEIGH-ANNE PALTER, MBA, Conroy Ross Partners GORDON PANAS, CA, PCL Constructors Inc. STEPHEN PETASKY, The Luxus Group DR. WILLIAM J. SHARUN, 32 Dental MICHEAL WEBB, MacLachlan and Mitchell Homes Inc. EX OFFICIO: DR. SUSAN GILMOUR, University of Alberta and Stollery Children’s Hospital DR. CHRISTINE KYRIAKIDES, Stollery Children’s Hospital TRACY MACDONALD, Stollery Children’s Hospital DR. DAVID MADOR, Alberta Health Services DR. D. DOUGLAS MILLER, University of Alberta VENTURE PUBLISHING INC. PUBLISHER: RUTH KELLY DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM CONTENT: MIFI PURVIS EDITOR: SHELLEY WILLIAMSON ART DIRECTOR: CHARLES BURKE ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: ANDREA DEBOER ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: COLIN SPENCE PRODUCTION MANAGER: BETTY FENIAK SMITH PRODUCTION TECHNICIANS: BRENT FELZIEN, BRANDON HOOVER DISTRIBUTION: KAREN REILLY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Colleen Biondi, Lucy Haines, Jennifer Hanrahan, Jen Janzen, Robbie Jeffrey, Sue LeBreton, Nadia Moharib, Christy Nich, Cory Schachtel, Seamus Smyth CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS: Lulu Bee Photography, Buffy Goodman, Shona Nichols, Heff O’Reilley, Amy Senecal, Kelly Redinger, Romy Young Photography, Trevor Schneider, Nicki Wohland, Colleen Zimmerman

2014 organizing committee: Nathan Schmidt - Chair, Scott Matheson - Founder & Honourary Chair, Lynn Zwicky - Row For Kids Director, Mike Steacy - Past Chair, Lydia Schreier, Rob Swart, Lindsay McDavid

ABOUT THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is committed to funding excellence at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Excellence comes in many forms: specialized equipment; sub-specialty education to train the brightest medical minds; research to pave the way to the discovery of new treatments and cures; and specialized pediatric programs that enhance family-centred care, and patient and family outcomes at the Stollery. Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Thank you for supporting: HEROES is published for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation by Venture Publishing Inc., 10259-105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3 Tel: 780-990-0839, Fax: 780-425-4921, Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 circulation@venturepublishing.ca Printed in Canada by Burke Group of Companies Limited. Heroes is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper Publications Agreement # 40012957 Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation 1502 College Plaza, 8215 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2C8

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FOUNDATION message

In the Swing of Things ‘Tis the season for fundraising at the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

PHOTO: TREVOR SCHNEIDER

BY Mike House, MBA, CFRE President & CEO, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

FORE THE KIDS: Mike House got to rub elbows and get some tips on his game from Mike Weir during the pro golfer’s Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, which raised more than $690,000 for the Stollery.

WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME HOW THINGS ARE GOING AT THE Foundation, I equate it to the experience of flying a kite. When you look at a kite in the sky, it can be moving fast or slow while remaining beautiful, peaceful and serene. But what we sometimes don’t notice is all of the activity on the ground that is keeping that kite soaring through the air. The last few months have seen us soar to incredible new heights. Our many donors and volunteers serve as the wind that propels us, while also helping to keep us focused and grounded as we collectively work toward elevating the specialized care at the Stollery. From premiere golf tournaments and hockey homecomings, to an Edson man who realized his lifelong pursuit to raise $1 million for the Stollery, we’ve been inspired recently by so many great people, memorable moments and amazing community connections. Within a span of just three weeks, we hosted two extremely successful golf tournaments – including our annual Tee Up For Tots Golf Invitational which celebrated 15 years. What made this event extra special was after a three-year hiatus, the Foundation brought this popular fundraiser back to The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, to rave reviews, raising $825,000 for ambulatory care at the Stollery. We are so grateful to all of our sponsors, including title sponsor Thompson Bros., and the many Jasper and area businesses for their support and for welcoming us in style. We can’t wait to return in 2016! The Foundation was also fortunate to host Canadian Masters Champion Mike Weir for two solid days of golfing, fundraising and community celebrations. The eighth-annual Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids swung into action on September 14 with the Miracle Kids junior S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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tournament. Close to 70 kids, ages seven to 17, hit the Edmonton Country Club for a round of golf before presenting the Foundation with a cheque for $23,000. Matching junior philanthropy with Mike Weir’s tireless efforts to connect to the communities he visits in support of Canadian children’s hospitals was magical. The philosophy of kids giving to kids can’t help but inspire and we are so proud of our junior golfers for all they accomplished. The following day was Mike Weir’s turn to hit the fairway. Mike started the day with an hour-long golf clinic for hundreds of excited guests, hosted by Global’s Kevin Karius. A spectacular round of golf followed and then it was off to Fort Edmonton Park for the “Bad Pants Goes to Bushwood” Caddyshackthemed gala. My heartfelt thanks go to The Mike Weir Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network, and our many sponsors, including presenting sponsor Mac & Mitch Homes. The bad pants and big hearts that day helped to raise more than $694,000 for a much-needed operating room expansion at the Stollery. In October, the Foundation got a chance to travel down memory lane as the 1984 Stanley Cup Champions the Edmonton Oilers, reunited in our city. The Oilers and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation are one of our longest standing partners at the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. From investing in vital programs and services at the Hospital that help raise the level of care, to four decades of amazing players visiting sick kids to help raise their spirits, the Oilers have contributed to building the Stollery into the world-class pediatric hospital it is today. We are so grateful to the Oilers for using the reunion as a way to generate more funding for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, resulting in the opening of the Edmonton Oilers Ambulatory Clinic on October 10. Managing over 120,000 outpatient visits every year, and growing, this investment in complex, specialized ambulatory care will increase the Stollery’s ability to serve more children. Speaking of champions, one of our own celebrated a life-long goal to raise $1 million for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Braden Mole, one of our employees, is an amazing person! At eight, Braden underwent his first of many brain surgeries at the Stollery. Not long after, he started raising money through bottle and penny drives in his home town of Edson, Alberta. After more than 15 years of fundraising, Braden realized his dream on September 27 as he presented the Foundation with a cheque for $1 million in front of family and friends. When you talk about being the change you’d like to see in the world, Braden is an inspiration and a true hero in every sense of the word. Combine all of this with our ninth-annual Row for Kids that raised $180,000 for the Stollery and our partners at the Edmonton Rowing Club, and a celebration to introduce our 2014-15 Stollery ambassador Champion Child, five-year-old Ben Woodlock, and it’s been a truly amazing and uplifting fall season here at the Foundation. Thank you for your continued support of our children’s hospital, and for taking the time to read and share some of these truly remarkable stories of courage and hope. Have a wonderful fall and best wishes leading into the holiday season. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

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foundations OF LIFE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAIDA GWAII TOTEM TOUR

Haida Gwaii Totem Tour

AFTER HIS FIRST VISIT TO MASSET IN HAIDA GWAII, B.C. EIGHT YEARS ago, Nick Lees had a dream. In the small town that marks Mile 0 of the Yellowhead Highway, he decided to plan an epic bike trip and fundraiser for kids. And when he saw people carving traditional totem poles, it was set. It would be a “totem tour” travelling from Haida Gwaii to Edmonton by bicycle. “Initially a lot of people thought I was joking because it is 1,760 kilometres, but it just gelled in my mind that we had to do this,” says Nick, a columnist for the Edmonton Journal. For two weeks in June, Nick’s dream came true, bringing together 40 riders ages 13 to into their 70s to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and bring a totem pole to be installed at the Hospital; the Haida Gwaii Totem Tour dream was realized. Through good and bad weather the crew cycled the distance, rolling into Edmonton’s Churchill Square on Canada Day, welcomed by hundreds of people. It was probably his fellow riders that kept him going, says Nick. “I have been doing [fundraising] rides for 10 years and I have never met a group of people that came together quite as much as this group did.” Among them was Matt Decore, who joined the organizing committee in 2013, on Nick’s request. A six-time national team cyclist, Matt was handy to have on the road, and behind the ride. “Honestly, I thought ‘I don’t know if we can do this.’ It was so daunting,” says Matt. But he agreed, and after a scouting mission with Nick, Ron Pawlowski and Allan Mayer to Haida Gwaii, the plans were in motion. Haida Gwaii carver Ben Davidson not only signed on to create the half-tonne, three-metre totem pole, but he also agreed to go along for the ride. One of the highlights for Matt was getting to ride alongside Mike Webb, a neighbour growing up who was his inspiration to start cycling. For this ride Mike brought along another inspiring rider – his 13-year-old son Alex, who also happened to be the Haida Gwaii Totem Tour’s biggest fundraiser. “This young guy is going to be a leader, moving into the next 6

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generation of these bike trips, plus he raised $40,000,” says Matt of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Youth Ambassador. Also on the bike for one leg was Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation president Mike House, who admits there were some hard hours, but it was worth it for the $404,000 raised for the Stollery. The money will go toward support services for families who use the Stollery, especially those of aboriginal descent. “In the Stollery we have about 50 per cent of children who come from outside of Edmonton and I would say between 15 and 20 per cent of those have aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit, or Metis background,” Mike explains. “We know that the navigation of our health-care system can be a difficult and intimidating thing for any parent, but particularly for a parent who may not have familiarity with the Stollery, so we wanted to raise money for some navigational support and social work support.” The tour’s title totem, which made the 1,760-kilometre trek to Edmonton in a covered trailer, was created as a tribute to the families whose children never returned home from the Stollery. At the bottom, a bison’s likeness honours Prairie First Nations people, while further up a mother bear and her cub signify a family’s bond and an eagle is perched at the top. Also on the pole, which spans three metres across, are butterflies added for former Stollery children who passed away, some of whose ashes were also mixed into the paint. It will be installed in the Stollery atrium in November. S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

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TD Canada Trust plays host to a variety of grassroots fundraisers for Children’s Miracle Network, a proud supporter of the Stollery Children’s Hospital and 13 other member hospitals across Canada. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first month of giving, where TD clients, employees and their friends and families contribute to the vitality of their regional hospitals. It also marks a monumental milestone – TD has raised more than $60 million nationally with this campaign since partnering with Children’s Miracle Network in 1994, including $10 million in the last two years. Stacey Johnson at the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is quick to praise TD for its impact. “TD was Children’s Miracle Network’s philanthropic partner of the year in 2012,” she says. The freedom afforded to the branches and employees is partly responsible for the campaign’s success, she adds – there is no rulebook on how to fundraise, and everything from barbecues to baseball tournaments is encouraged. “A lot of it comes from signing up monthly donors as well,” Stacey says. “It’s up to the individual branches in northern Alberta to do what they can, but overall, they’re all very supportive in giving to the Stollery.” TD will also release a video in November commemorating the past two decades outlining the key tenets of the effort. Funds raised from the campaign directly contribute to treatment, specialized equipment and research among Children’s Miracle Network’s member hospitals, where 4,900 children are treated every day. It’s a daunting number, but it’s no match for the community fostered by many individual acts of generosity that contribute to TD’s fundraising success. “TD is quite generous in what they give to the Children’s Miracle Network,” Stacey says. “Their support is tremendous.”

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GIVE A LITTLE: Grade 5 students, pictured here with their support team, raised $946.20 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation with a bake sale at McKernan School.

Home is Where the Heart is IN THE BACKGROUND, MACY DENHAM is laughing excitedly during her speech therapy. She’ll be five years old in January, and while she’s faced a difficult life so far – her lung capacity is diminished, she struggles to keep weight on and she is still tube fed – the giddiness in her voice speaks volumes about where she is today. Her mother, Nicole, is beaming with pride. “Macy isn’t shy,” she says. “She’s willing to learn everything and she’s a happy little girl. She’s making up for what we had to go through in the beginning.” In early 2010, Nicole gave birth to twins at 25 weeks and six days. Macy started off healthy, but only 11 days in, Nicole and her husband Brett were confronted with every parent’s worst nightmare. They lost the other twin, and then ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES Macy’s well-being plummeted. “We almost lost WHAT THE STOLLERY MEANS her,” says Nicole, “but then she pulled through.” TO NICOLE DENHAM: Nicole and Brett stayed with Macy in the Stollery “EVERYTHING.” Children’s Hospital over the course of 145 days and two surgeries. Later that fall, they brought her back for a third. “We were in and out of the Stollery for 186 days in total that first year,” says Nicole. With their home in Camrose and with another two-year-old child in tow, Brett often got a hotel room in Edmonton so the family could be in the same city. Over time, the Denhams familiarized themselves with the staff at the Stollery. “If we had any questions they were there in an instant,” Nicole says, adding that despite the trauma they’d seen, she and Brett felt at home. Nicole recalls visiting a museum recently and being asked to close her eyes and picture a place where she feels comfortable. She pictured the Stollery. These days, Macy is in preschool, thanks to the assistance of physiotherapists and speech therapists, and while Nicole says that Macy still grapples with discomfort on the inside, to the world she projects an undeniable radiance and appreciation for life. Nicole is quick to choose one simple word that describes what the Stollery’s world-class care means to her family: “Everything.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NICOLE DENHAM

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE,

PHOTO: SHONA NICHOLS

TD and 20 Years with the Stollery

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foundations OF LIFE

DQ Miracle Treat Day

PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY QUEEN CANADA

PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

FLURRY OF FUNDS: Edmonton came out on top for the fifth year straight during DQ Miracle Treat Day on August 14. Sales from Blizzards helped raise more than $750,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation! This year marks the 30th anniversary of the DQ-Children’s Miracle Network partnership. Miracle Treat Day has raised more than $3 million for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation since 2001. (Clockwise from top, Jessica Warren from DQ Canada offers Blizzard treats to Stollery Kid Mabel Tooke; Natalie Alders digs in; DQ gets dolled up for the special day.)

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Community Kitchen SOMETIMES WE CAN TRACE WAVES OF GOODWILL BACK

PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

to their original ripple and see how fast they spread. When Heidi Wagner opened up the only Melting Pot in Canada, she probably didn’t know that her restaurant would contribute to the unparalleled excellence of the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Yet, since 2010, The Melting Pot’s Edmonton location has raised $78,478 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, and as the restaurant prepares for its fourth fundraising event specifically for this Hospital, spirits are high and Heidi hopes to one-up past contributions. “We really believe in giving back to the community,” Heidi says. The Melting Pot features a rotating charity of the month, and every November the restaurant rolls out its Fondue for Little Miracles campaign, in which a $10 donation to the Stollery entitles you to a $20 gift card to The Melting Pot – a great stocking stuffer. The full donation goes to the Stollery. “Last November, our staff went above and beyond and really blew things out of the water,” she says, detailing the staff-driven contests and partnerships with local businesses that donate prizes. As a result, lots of businesses got involved and gave out the gift cards to their employees, expanding the fundraiser’s influence. Last year alone, the restaurant raised an unprecedented $23,000 in the one month alone.

$78,478 RAISED TO DATE FOR THE STOLLERY! Heidi modelled the fundraiser after the Thanks and Giving campaign, in which the U.S. locations raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. “We have this world-class facility in our backyard, so it made sense to raise money for this great cause and to take bits and pieces from what’s successful in the U.S.,” she says. As a mother of three, Heidi feels blessed that she has never needed to use the Stollery. Still, she takes her children to events throughout the year that support the kids there. “We’ve made this a family event,” she says. “It’s mind-blowing what the hospital is able to do and it’s nice to know that the resource is there.”

Check out The Melting Pot at 2920 Calgary Trail for this year’s Fondue For Little Miracles campaign.

The Night is Alight

PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

BY SEPTEMBER 13, EVERYONE IN ALBERTA KNEW THAT summer was drawing to a close. The leaves had changed colour, and by 10 p.m., it was already dark, foreshadowing winter. Cameron Robinson, however, was more excited than ever. He was about to see a long-held dream – inspired in part by a TV commercial, but more importantly, by a lifetime of gratitude – materialize before him. Cameron, now 20 years old, was born with several heart problems. When he was seven weeks old, he had the first of three surgeries, which would include open-heart surgery and the expansion of one of his arteries. He was treated at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. “I’m basically here because of the doctors there,” he says. Although he mostly remembers the yearly checkups, Cameron isn’t shy about the importance of the facility. “When I was there, I was always comfortable, and from my parents’ point of view, the doctors did a great job letting them know what was happening and keeping them optimistic,” he says. When 10 p.m. came around on this cool September night, 30 participants on bikes, all lit with glow sticks and LEDs, took off along a 27-kilometre bike path in Sherwood Park for the Bike Thru the Nite event organized by S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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30 PARTICIPANTS, 20 VOLUNTEERS AND MORE THAN

$8,000

RAISED FOR THE STOLLERY!

Cameron and his friend Paul Grandinetti. “I owe the Stollery quite a bit,” Cameron says. “I want to be able to pass it on to the kids going through it now.” He is an enthusiastic supporter of fundraising for the hospital, saying, “It’d be difficult to find a better cause. I got way more out of it than I put in.” In the weeks leading up to the event, the group collected pledges totalling more than $8,000. The BlackBerry® commercial that inspired Cameron ends with an apt slogan: “Start something.” And so he did. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

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foundations OF LIFE

The Stuff of Miracles

PHOTOS: TREVOR SCHNEIDER

Mike Weir links up with the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation to raise nearly $700K

IF YOU WANT TO HOST A GOLF TOURNAMENT WITH A powerful driving force behind it, it doesn’t get any better than Mike Weir. The 2003 PGA Masters champion swung into Edmonton recently for his eighth-annual Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, marking the first time this fundraising event has graced the links of a Western Canadian city. Mike House, president and CEO of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, says Weir – who has pledged to raise $10 million for children’s hospitals by joining forces with Children’s Miracle Network – chose the Stollery this year because of its reputation for standout fundraisers. “One of the reasons why Edmonton was awarded the tournament was because of the Foundation’s commitment to not just philanthropy, but philanthropy with young people. We have the Stollery Youth Philanthropy Committee and that group of individuals between 10 and 17 helped us drive our strategy,” says House. While the September affair featured an adult tournament and a chance to get hands-on golf tips from Weir, it was also a time for volunteers to shine. The junior philanthropists, led by Alex Webb, particularly got Mike Weir’s attention. “The Stollery Youth Philanthropy Ambassadors program was responsible for promoting and implementing the Miracle Kids Tournament on the Sunday afternoon, where I was presented with their cheque for over $23,000, which they raised for the Stollery,” says Weir. “I know when I was that age I did not have the capacity or maturity to do what they have done. When I meet kids like Alex, it really brings home how much more work I need to do through my Foundation.” The organizing committee opted to show its guest of honour that the city has a sense of humour. “We took a very strategic tact on the idea that we would position it like (the movie) Caddyshack,” House says. “We even 10

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renamed the clubhouse ‘Bushwood’ for the event.” Golfers, who paid $2,000 each to tee off, sported their best “bad pants” on the fairways of the Edmonton Country Club, then celebrated with a “Bad Pants Goes to Bushwood” party at Fort Edmonton Park’s Blatchford Air Hangar. The Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids was a swinging success and exceeded targets, raising $694,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, earmarked for much-needed operating rooms. “This year’s event was among the top we have done in terms of dollars raised and enthusiasm,” says Weir. “It was well received, well run and came off without a hitch – and the weather even co-operated!” The PGA mainstay even got into the wackiness, auctioning off his Caddyshack-designed golf bag, raising $10,100 for the Stollery. Much of the success that evening also came from the live auction, which netted over $170,000 thanks to donors like Auto Details, Henry Singer and TaylorMade. “This event has been wildly more successful than I would have ever thought. Each year I am humbled by what all Children’s Miracle Network’s member hospitals do for kids in this country,” he says. S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

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Save the Date The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is honoured to have caring people in the community creating events with proceeds supporting the Foundation, benefitting sick and injured children. We hope you will have an opportunity to enjoy or participate in these activities. For more information, and a complete list of upcoming events, visit stollerykids.com/events. HOLIDAY CRAFT EXTRAVAGANZA

EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL NEW YEAR’S EVE GALA DATE: December 31, 2014 TIME: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. LOCATION: Fantasyland Hotel, 17700 87 Avenue, Edmonton Edmonton International New Year’s Eve Gala: a spectacular evening of food, fun and entertainment. Visit www.edgala.com for details.

16TH ANNUAL CORUS RADIOTHON DATE: January 21 & 22, 2015 TIME: 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. LOCATION: Lobby of the Stollery Children’s Hospital 8440 112 Street, Edmonton

DATE: November 15, 2014 TIME: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. LOCATION: Ridgewood Community League Hall, 3705 Millwoods Road East, Edmonton

Tune in to Corus Radio Edmonton’s CISN Country 103.9, 925 Fresh FM and 630 CHED as they broadcast live from the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Children, families and health-care professionals share inspiring stories about the Hospital. Make your donation by visiting www.stollerykids.com.

Come and get all of your holiday shopping while supporting the music therapy program at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. The craft fair will feature a variety of talented artisans and crafters. For more information, please visit the Facebook page by searching Holiday Craft Extravaganza.

13TH ANNUAL HAIR MASSACURE

FONDUE FOR LITTLE MIRACLES DATE: November 2014 LOCATION: The Melting Pot, 2920 Calgary Trail, Edmonton The Melting Pot Edmonton is excited to launch its fourth-annual Fondue for Little Miracles campaign. Throughout the month of November, customers can support the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. For every $10 donation, receive a $20 Fondue for Little Miracles card for future purchases at The Melting Pot Edmonton. Call 780-465-4347 or visit meltingpot.com/edmonton for details.

CHARITY BEARS DATE: November 24, 2014 until sold out LOCATION: Participating BMO, CIBC, RBC Royal Bank and Scotiabank locations. Also available at BearyLand, located in the lobby of the Stollery Children’s Hospital, 8440 112 Street, Edmonton This year’s Charity Bear is named Cheyanne in honour of our 2013/14 Walmart Champion Child, Cheyanne Mattern. The large bear retails for $20 and the small at $12. Purchase your Cheyanne Bear today and support Stollery Kids like Cheyanne.

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DATE: February 20, 2015 LOCATION: West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace, 8882 170 Street, Edmonton Hair Massacure kicks off in January with many participants colouring their hair pink. The campaign culminates with a massive head-shaving and hair-donating event held at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace on February 20. This unique event raises funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta. For information or to register, visit www.hairmassacure.com.

4TH ANNUAL STOLLERY FAMILY DAY CLASSIC DATE: February 13 to 16, 2015 LOCATION: Terwillegar Rec Centre, Edmonton 2051 Leger Rd NW, Edmonton The Stollery Family Day Classic is focused on children, families, active living and good health. The hockey tournament promotes awareness and support for the Stollery Children’s Hospital among youth and the community at large. For more information, or to volunteer, sponsor the event, or donate items to the silent auction, visit familydayclassic.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING TAX RECEIPTS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR 2014 TAX RECEIPTS ALL DONATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY DECEMBER 31, 2014 Donors wishing to claim their donations for the 2014 tax year must ensure that the funds are received (or postmarked) by December 31. Donations received after this date will be receipted for the 2015 calendar year.

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2014-10-27 12:14 PM

tech FILES

BY Cory Schachtel

Cooler Heads Prevail Treatment buys babies time, and gives parents peace of mind DESPITE MODERN MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT,

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM

neonatal deaths – a major quality marker of any pediatric health-care system – still occur. Thankfully, in the majority of cases, parents immediately hear their newborn’s first cry, but there is no guarantee. Besides issues related to premature births, the birthing process itself can complicate an otherwise perfect gestation, causing lifelong impairments, or worse. Fifteen years ago, the Stollery Children’s Hospital took part in a study that led to new treatment to mitigate long-term problems and save precious lives, allowing more parents to hear their child’s cries – and laughter. Many things can go wrong during the birth of a baby, the most well-known being breech births and knots or compression of the umbilical cord. In those “We’ve found cooling, providing and other scenarios, hypothermia, is the one thing we the biggest concern is can give the brain to help it heal,” birth asphyxia, a lack blood flow to the says registered nurse Barb Kamstra. of brain. No blood flow means no oxygen, which means that even if the baby survives, the lifelong effects could be drastic. In a matter of minutes, a perfectly normal pregnancy could turn into irreparable neurological damage for the newborn. The solution, or closest thing to one, is surprisingly simple, albeit initially startling to hear: keep the baby cool – as in hypothermic – for three days. Barb Kamstra is a registered nurse working in research and clinical

DRIVING FORCE: The money raised in this year’s Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation helped purchase a total body cooling blanket.

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support in the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and was there for the multi-centred study in 1999. She says that while treatment for babies using this method was new, the benefits of total body cooling were known. “It had been observed that, when hypothermia happens accidentally, like with a near drowning in icy water, the brain suffers noticeably less damage than in warm water,” says Barb. Observations aside, it can be a tough sell. “Telling parents you’re going to cool their baby by four degrees for 72 hours, with no feeding and no holding or cuddling them – it feels like a lifetime.” It’s difficult for people to think keeping someone cold is a good thing. Initially, no one thought babies could even handle it. But it works. All the studies came back with positive results, and the sooner babies received hypothermic treatment, the better they recovered. “We have to get them cold immediately after birth to prevent long-term damage from occurring,” explains Barb. “The babies in the moderately affected range, those children did better. The severely affected didn’t have the best outcomes, but there was still some improvement, so it became the standard of care.” The procedure itself is straightforward and precise. The original head wrap cooling cap was soon scrapped for the total body-cooling blanket, due to the latter’s ease of use and that it allows access to the baby. Cool water flows through tubes within the rubber blanket, and a thermometer continuously monitors and adjusts the water temperature, ensuring the $30,000 machine maintains the baby’s temperature at a constant 33.5C. There are no absolute numbers, in terms of lives saved, since doctors can’t say with confidence that any baby who survived after receiving treatment would have died without it. But compared to the control group of babies who received no treatment, the benefits are clear. “It’s not a cure,” adds Barb. “Some receive cooling and still have disabilities. But they have fewer than those not offered cooling, and more survive.” The human brain is the most intricate organ, which makes it the most difficult to treat once an impact occurs. And it can take a particularly bad hit if there are complications during labour or delivery. “We can breathe for the baby, support their lungs, feed them through IV and let their GI tract recover,” says Barb. “But for the brain, there’s not a lot you can do. We’ve found cooling, providing hypothermia, is the one thing we can give the brain to help it heal.” S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

2014-10-27 12:15 PM

BY Shelley Williamson

A Woman’s Prerogative

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

New female-focused network puts mothers’ perspectives and the Stollery at the forefront

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MOST EDMONTONIANS KNOW CARRIE DOLL AS PAST anchor and health reporter for CTV. But the longtime Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Snowflake Gala emcee will tell you her most important job is being mom to her two children. And as chair to the Stollery Women’s Network (SWN), she would like to see more women throw their support behind the Stollery and its kids, as well. “I think we have a powerful voice because a lot of us are moms – and we network differently than men,” says Carrie, who joins seven other prominent local women to form the SWN’s executive council. Stacey Johnson, senior development officer for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, says the main goals of the new group are hospital promotion and sharing ideas, however community support and feedback has evolved the group into ambassadors for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It’s quite an amazing group of ladies and very driven in terms of wanting to share how fantastic the Stollery is – and really promote that it is a hidden gem,” says Stacey. “We know that we have a children’s hospital, but sometimes we don’t actually realize the impact it has on our community and how fortunate we are to have a hospital of its stature in Edmonton, for not just Edmonton but for the Territories, northern Alberta, northern B.C. and Saskatchewan. We are not a board, but we can speak for those that cannot speak for themselves – moms and dads, health care providers doing what they do best, and the young patients, who overcome incredible obstacles thanks to treatment and procedures that would not have existed years ago.” The “fireside” sessions provide a chance for parents to rub elbows with those in the know in the medical and pediatric realm. “Parents are getting an opportunity to meet and chat with these people that are changing lives at S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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the Stollery, and I think that’s how women work,” Carrie notes. “They need an opportunity to see what’s going on and be able to really understand it and once we do, we become fierce advocates of it. It’s an interesting and a new age way to increase the profile of the Stollery.” So far the SWN’s evening gatherings, which Carrie hosts, have been well received, drawing hundreds of women each time. In April attendees got a double dose of doctor’s wisdom, with guest speakers of husband-and wife team Dr. Mandy Newton (mental health) and Dr. Jeff Ball (child obesity). Other gatherings have featured hospital administrators. But perhaps the best thing about the network is that it is very grassroots. “The SWN is unique in that it is led by the volunteers who sit on the advisory committee. When you think about households, who leads them and who is taking care of health care, making those decisions, most of the time it is the women. These are women who have been involved with us in some shape or form, who really have a good understanding of what is being done in the community,” Stacey explains. Everyone has a Stollery story. For Carrie, hers goes back to a day she got to scrub in as pediatric surgeon Dr. Ivan Rebeyka performed his Norwood Procedure, to repair a hole in an infant’s heart. “All these people moved aside and there was this tiny little body on the operating table with his chest cavity wide open,” Carrie recalls. “I was just dumfounded by the number of people and the machines and I walked over to that table and the boy’s heart was so small. It was remarkable; it was life-changing. That boy is now 15 years old and living a very normal life thanks to the work of the Stollery.” Stacey says the next phase for the Stollery Women’s Network will see the group split into three sub-committees “to support the advisory committee, and support all of the objectives – service, communication, community relations and fundraising – basically all our hopes and dreams of what we hope this group will come to, really harnessing the leadership of the women in our community.” She adds: “Every Stollery story is different and every dream is different, which is why we need to have the Stollery to reach its fullest potential – this means advocating for programs and funding for excellence so that each child can reach whatever dreams are possible to them.” F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-27 1:38 PM

BORN TOO SOON BY Christy Nich

World Prematurity Day sheds light on the concerning preemie rate in Canada

“I

T WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE FOR ME” IS NOT THE TYPICAL

thing you hear from parents of premature babies, but for Dan Davis* it was a bonding experience that he will treasure. Every night for four hours he would go to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Stollery Children’s Hospital to have skin-to-skin contact with his newborn son, Seth.* “It’s created a bond between us that I don’t know if I would have gotten otherwise because dads don’t usually get to do that.” That skin-to-skin contact is one of the standard practices used to help premature babies thrive and was a theme used to promote a past World Prematurity Day (WPD), which is recognized annually on November 17. One in 10 babies in Canada is born prematurely or preterm, meaning prior to the normal 39- to 40-week gestation period. It’s in the last several weeks that the unborn baby ‘s internal organs mature and the baby starts gaining weight, so any child born before the 37-week mark is cause for concern. A full-term baby weighs about 3.2 kilograms (7.5 pounds), but a 23-week gestational term baby can weigh as little as a half-kilogram (or just over a pound). Alberta, for reasons unknown, has the highest rate in all of Canada of preterm babies, at one in eight – and that makes it especially important for Denise Clarke, a neonatal nurse practitioner and one of the team members organizing this year’s WPD campaign, to educate the masses in Edmonton about this troubling statistic. Her team of colleagues also wants to encourage funding for families and understanding of the difficulties they go through. “Many of the families aren’t from the Edmonton area and they sometimes have to stay for months at a time,” she says. They need help with accommodation, meals, even parking passes so they can spend time with their fragile infants at the hospital. Sometimes there are employers who need to understand when parents of preemies need 14

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a leave of absence, or friends and family who could be encouraged to help by looking after their other children and/or pets. Denise says the Stollery has funding for 81 NICU beds, with an additional 37 neonatal beds at the Covenant sites, which are “almost all of the time at over 100-per-cent occupancy.” The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation supports major equipment and it is the small things, as well. “We always need more recliners in the units for parents to hold their babies, and developmental aids,” she says. Denise has been involved since the first WPD in Canada in 2011 and this year is working with Dr. Ernest Phillipos, the regional director for the northern Alberta neonatal program. Each year, WPD focuses on a different aspect of premature babies such as the skin-to-skin care, feeding fragile infants, the long-term effects of prematurity on the family, the concerns for the child immediately after birth in the NICU and followup, and promoting prevention by increasing public awareness of suspected causes. She’s also on the board of directors for the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, which was responsible for lighting up the Muttart Conservatory in purple last year as part of the Global Illumination project, and the organization plans to have some more public structures lit this year. In preparation for WPD, organizers have four illuminated, digital billboards on display at various locations around Edmonton. This year’s WPD campaign will highlight the work done at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, coinciding with its 40-year celebration. Babies born prematurely often have greater risks for long-term complications, and through the high-risk neonatal followup program, which has been a collaborative effort with the Stollery, the Glenrose program provides assessment for those patients, and followup appointments to monitor the cognitive skills and physical growth and development of high-risk preterm babies. A team of interdisciplinary specialists intervenes as needed to provide S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

2014-10-27 1:37 PM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

comprehensive services and help infants reach their individual developmental milestones. In Dan’s case, his son, now seven years old, is lucky to have survived the common problem of undeveloped lungs. He had to have the bovine lipid extract surfactant (BLES) procedure to improve his lung function in his first day out of the womb. He continues to have low muscle development which makes him more fragile and he has the fine and gross motor skills of a much younger child. Also, his speech was delayed and he started walking at a later age than his peer group. His five-year-old sister was also born small but full term, and she has made great strides in her development. S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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On November 17 (WPD) of every year, the Stollery’s NICUs host a graduation tea to celebrate their former patients. “Prematurity is really a significant health issue that not many people understand, being that there were almost 30,000 babies born preterm in Canada last year,” says Denise. “I think it’s an extremely relevant health issue to bring awareness to. I don’t think the public at large know what it is, what’s needed and how it can be prevented. We were calling it the ‘pediatric pandemic’ that nobody really knows about and yet it continues to happen at such a high rate.” *Names changed by request of the family. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-27 12:16 PM

PLAYING FOR KEEPS: Ben Woodlock shares his father’s love of hockey and the Oilers. The energetic five-year-old is starting to enjoy life again, finding time to play despite regular trips to the Stollery.

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2014-10-28 3:15 PM

PHOTO: ROMY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY

feature HERO

HE’S A

CHAMP BY Colleen Biondi

Five-year-old Ben is proud to represent northern Alberta’s kids at Disney World

PHOTO: ROMY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY

OUTINE TESTS DURING PREGNANCY ARE GENERALLY

the Stollery, where the head of pediatric nephrology at the time was nothing to be concerned about. But the 17-week ultrasound Dr. Verna Yui. “She laid it all out for us,” says Tania. “Ben would need on Tania and Patrick Woodlock’s first baby showed a result dialysis and a kidney transplant.” Tania and Patrick were heartbroken but, before long, went into serthat was miles away from routine. Urine was trapped in their unborn baby’s kidneys and bladder and, ious planning mode. After receiving medications to control his electroas a result, both organs were seriously enlarged. The buildup was caus- lytes for one month, Ben started peritoneal dialysis. During this proing a reduction in the amniotic fluid around the baby in the womb. cedure, the blood vessels in the abdominal lining (peritoneum) take There was an additional concern that the unborn baby’s lungs were the place of the kidney function. A tiny catheter injects fluid (called dialysate) into an infant’s stomnot developing properly. ach and drains toxin-filled urine. Tania was immediately trans“Without the Stollery, there’d be no Ben received this treatment every ferred to the perinatal clinic at the Ben. The doctors there are more than evening for eight to 12 hours – for Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edjust doctors; they know him and care a total of 17 months, the first four monton. She then had a “bladder about him and have seen him at his all spent in the hospital. tap” through her abdomen, a proTania was there day and night. “I cedure necessary to empty urine very worst and have been with us had one focus and one focus only. from the baby’s bladder. What every step of the way,” says mom My job was to learn all I could happened next was good news – Tania Woodlock. about kidney disease, get Ben the baby started urinating and the home and ready for a transplant.” amniotic fluid level rose. But the good news didn’t last long. The baby’s kidneys and bladder Patrick, a real estate appraiser, came to the hospital before and after “had been through so much trauma and they were so enlarged that work every day. When Ben weighed 12 pounds, he was finally allowed the damage was already done,” recalls mother of three Tania, a part- to go home and continue dialysis with a machine called a “cycler.” At this point, a hunt for a kidney donor began. Since a living donor time Grade 5 teacher. Not long after the “bladder tap,” the amniotic was optimal – with no waiting list and better likelihood of a match – fluid started to dissipate again. Her baby was at risk once more. After Tania’s labour was induced at just 34-weeks’ gestation, Ben extended family members started lining up to be tested. Doctors and arrived, tipping the scales just shy of five pounds. Within 24 hours, the Woodlocks hoped that Patrick would be a match so the search his kidney function tests revealed the worst – although Ben was still would be over and next steps could be taken without delay. When Ben urinating, he was not eliminating toxins from his body through his was a year old and close to his 25-pound weight requirement, Patrick was notified that he was a match and a suitable donor to his son. The urine. His kidneys, quite simply, were not working. He was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at work-up to the surgery took another six months. S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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The surgery process was daunting. “It is major surgery for both parties,” Still, life remains stressful. In the early, post-surgery phases, Ben explains Tania. “One person is losing an organ and the other is gaining went for blood work three times a week, to the kidney clinic every one.” Fortunately, both Ben and Patrick came through their respective week and had appointments with occupational, physical and eatprocedures successfully. Ben was in the hospital for two weeks; he was in ing therapists. He now takes three anti-rejection drugs per day (to the pediatric intensive care unit for a few days with fluid in his lungs. Pat- suppress the immune system) and a medication to help relieve their rick was in the hospital for five days harshness on his stomach and deal and was off work for six weeks. with acid reflux. He will continue Ben is beginning to enjoy the life of It was a crazy time for the to take this combination of media “regular” boy. He takes swimming family, but it would soon get even for the rest of his life. Ben’s and skating lessons and plays soccer. cines more hectic: Tania was now seven system also needs two litres of fluHe has just started French immersion id every day; he uses a gastrostomy months pregnant with her second kindergarten and is very sociable. child – brother Rylen is now three tube to give him the amount he years old; and his and Ben’s baby can’t yet take on his own. His brother is his best friend. sister Danica just celebrated her Today, the hospital and clinic first birthday on Halloween. followup is a bit more manageable. Ben visits the renal clinic in the Prior to the kidney transplant, Ben was developmentally delayed. He Edmonton Oilers Ambulatory Clinic every three months, has blood wasn’t walking, only pulling himself along on his bottom, and he wasn’t work once a month, a pediatrician followup every three months and talking. He was happy, but – in hindsight – Tania and Patrick realized he he is beginning to enjoy the life of a “regular” five-year-old boy. He had never really laughed. “He felt unwell all the time,” recalls Tania. takes swimming and skating lessons and plays soccer. He has just But that changed quickly. Ben started walking three months after started French immersion kindergarten and is very sociable. His the surgery, showed an increased strength and energy, was able to run brother is his best friend. Ben loves hockey and wavers between NHL and play and finally got that sparkle in his eye that tells his mom greats Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky as his favourite players. His when a belly laugh is coming. smile, currently pronounced by two missing front teeth, is infectious. 18

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S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

2014-10-27 12:18 PM

PHOTO: ROMY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY

HE’S GOT GAME: To see Ben Woodlock perform his best slapshot in his St. Albert driveway, it’s hard to believe the spirited youngster, this year’s Champion Child, was ever unwell.

PHOTO: ROMY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY

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PHOTO: LULU BEE PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO: ROMY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY

The Woodlocks, who live in St. Albert, are very grateful for the professional health care they receive for their son. “Without the Stollery, there’d be no Ben,” explains Tania. “The doctors there are more than just doctors; they know him and care about him and have seen him at his worst and have been with us every step of the way. They’re family.” This fall, the family marked yet another celebration. Ben has been chosen as this year’s Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Champion Child, a program sponsored by Walmart through Children’s Miracle Network. His job will be to represent the Stollery at fundraising and awareness events, like Snowflake Gala and Radiothon. But for Ben and his family, it is not all work and no play. The family went to Toronto to meet other Champion Children from across Canada and to Florida for a conference (and to visit Disney World) earlier this month. “We are telling Ben’s story to raise awareness about what an amazing hospital the Stollery is for children in Alberta and Western Canada.” The Woodlocks are pleased that Ben is being honoured in a positive way for his optimism and resilience. “Ben looks at life as an adventure and carries on with each day,” adds Tania. “He does not complain.” With a permanent grin on his face, a polite demeanour and charm that’s already showing in his five-year-old personality, there couldn’t be a better representative for the Stollery than Ben – who really is a true champion child. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-28 3:15 PM

BY Colleen Biondi

alumni FILES

A True Hero

A FIGHTER: Adam Zimmerman pictured with his mom Colleen at a Stollery event, is being remembered by his family as a determined, resilient and optimistic young man.

A TATTOO IS A VERY PERSONAL SYMBOL that represents special meaning for the person sporting it. This was certainly the case for Adam Zimmerman of Wetaskiwin, Alberta. In February, the 19-year-old designed and inked his own tattoo – a stylized shield, sword and wing combiWhen people would ask him the nation representing the of defendsignificance of the date on his importance ing, fighting and being tattoo, he would joke, “That was powerful against cancer. the day I joined the circus.” Etched on the design was a special date – December 15, 1998 – marking his first cancer-related surgery, at age four. “It is the day that made me the person I am today,” he explained, three short months before the cancer took his life. Adam was born on March 10, 1994. His first few years were busy ones. He attended his first auction (the Zimmerman family auctions farm equipment) at two days of age, started walking at 10 months and was fascinated with animals – from aardvarks to zebras – 20

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PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEEN ZIMMERMAN

Family of Stollery alumnus pays tribute to his strength and determination in the face of great challenges

as a youngster. He loved playing with his brother and sister (Paul, now 22, and Anna, 19); he was happy and fun-loving. In the spring of 1998, Adam started experiencing breathing and swallowing problems, explains Colleen, Adam’s mother. After having his tonsils removed, there was no improvement. In fact, Adam’s balance was now off and his head felt like it was “shaking.” A CAT scan was ordered in December and afterwards pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Keith Aronyk informed the family that Adam had a brain tumour. Days later, the tumour was removed, but instead of that being the end of Adam’s challenges, it was only the beginning. After surgery, Adam received radiation treatments and months of rehabilitation. He attended numerous doctors’ appointments and had regular MRIs to monitor his health. At the age of 12, his medical team found another tumour. He had a second surgery and more radiation treatment. In 2010, at 16 years old, another tumour, a golf-ball-sized mass presenting at the front of his brain, was removed. But a fourth tumour, discovered S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

2014-10-27 12:20 PM

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLLEEN ZIMMERMAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEEN ZIMMERMAN

behind his left ear and wrapping around an artery, could not be safely 22, 2014, Adam passed away peacefully, surrounded by his mom, dad, taken out. Radiation was again recommended as Adam’s course of brother and sister. More than 800 family, friends, doctors and nurses treatment, along with chemotherapy. attended his memorial service. During all those years, Adam’s family tried to keep his life as normal as Colleen and her family remain totally committed to the Stollery due possible. He attended grade school at Falun, junior high at Pigeon Lake to the staff members’ commitment to Adam. “It is an amazing facility and Sacred Heart schools and graduated from Wetaskiwin Composite and provides excellent care,” she says. “Staff go above and beyond. Our High. He took swimming lessons and went skiing, skating, canoeing hearts will always be with the Stollery.” Over the years, the family has and wall climbing. He attended summer camps and participated in track raised funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. One year, meets. Adam was in 4-H and through it he received the Rate of Gain and proceeds from one of the family’s auctions raised more than $60,000 to the Alberta Treasury Branch’s Bronze awards. In 2000, he was chosen build a quiet family room – the Lakedell Room – in the Stollery. Today, as one of the Stollery’s Little Miracles Colleen also raises money for the Brain and received the Leaders of Tomorrow Foundation of Canada, along “After all the things that happened Tumour award in Wetaskiwin, and in 2012 with continuing to share her family’s to Adam in the hospital, I don’t he was one of 7,000 Canadians to be story to educate and raise awareness chosen as a Difference Maker in the think I was ever as scared as I was for the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay. the first time I saw Adam drive out the Foundation. Like many other teenagers, Adam got Although Adam’s life was far too of the yard in our purple truck,” his driver’s licence in Grade 11. “After short, Colleen encourages everyone says his mom Colleen. all the things that happened to Adam to remember her son for who he was. in the hospital, I don’t think I was ever He was a young man who never gave as scared as I was the first time I saw Adam drive out of the yard in our up, who was determined, resilient and optimistic and who – even in his purple truck,” says Colleen. darkest days – understood that he was paving the way for future children The Zimmermans took two family wish trips with Make-A-Wish® who have medical needs to get the help they need and deserve. He is, Foundation of Northern Alberta and the Sunshine Foundation of Canada – indeed, the truest of heroes. one to Disneyland and one to Vancouver Island, where they went whalewatching and kayaking. Adam’s first jobs were with the Boys & Girls Club of Wetaskiwin and Zimmerman Auctions. After high school, he took a year off to work at Superbee Truck Accessories and upgrade a math course he needed for post-secondary studies in architectural technology at NAIT in Edmonton. Meanwhile, the spring before school began, the tumour was growing. Adam decided to take one more round of radiation. Close to the end of treatment, Adam was having trouble with his balance; needing a cane to get around before experiencing two major seizures. When September came around, Adam, using a wheelchair at that point, was determined to attend post-secondary. Both Adam and Colleen moved into accessible housing in Edmonton so Adam could fulfil that dream. Adam’s father, Gerald, managed the household and family business back in Wetaskiwin. Although the Zimmermans were apart, they still felt connected. Colleen went home on weekends, and worked from wherever she could. Despite all that Adam went through, he maintained his sense of humour. He took part in amateur night at an Edmonton comedy club, named his apartment in the city “Rudy’s,” complete with an official sign and offerings of wings and beer on Thursdays. When people would ask him the significance of the date on his tattoo, he would joke, “That was the day I joined the circus.” He also kept cigars and a lighter handy so when his wheelchair got stuck in the snow, he could pay a few guys to help dig him out. Adam was a generous young man. One of his last wishes when he was at the hospital was for his mom to bring over his wallet. He wanted to buy presents for his brother and sister. Adam’s reach went well beyond his neighbourhood. He met and quickly befriended Canadian country music artist Brett Kissel at a fundraising event. Brett asked Adam to be a part of his next music video and Adam readily agreed. But, sadly, it was too late for him to participate. On May 21

2014-10-27 12:20 PM

PHOTO: KELLY REDINGER

BREATH SAVER: Dr. Georg Schmölzer divides his time between his lab and the neonatal intensive care unit, trying to devise techniques to help babies breathe better in their first hour of life.

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2014-10-27 12:21 PM

one TO WATCH

AIR Apparent BY Sue LeBreton

Heart and Stroke Foundation chair of Neonatal Resuscitation helps NICU infants breathe easier

OR ALL BABIES, LEAVING THE WARM ENVIRONMENT

“That first hour is a unique period in your life. There is a lot of change of the womb is a shocking experience, but for premature babies as the baby transitions from being supported by the mother to being with underdeveloped lungs and brains, this transition can re- self-supporting. It is the only time you can have lungs filled with water sult in an inability to breathe properly. Resuscitating a tiny, deli- without drowning,” says Dr. Schmölzer. He believes that if medicine cate infant is tricky business. Very premature infants are susceptible to can improve that transitional period, pre-term babies will have better injury during this process because they are structurally immature; their outcomes, both short term and long term. lungs are filled with fluid, lack the necessary wetting agent and are not Yearly, throughout the world, 15 million newborns are born supported by a stiff chest wall. prematurely and 20 per cent of them require support at birth; one The Stollery Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), million of these babies die due to birth asphyxia. Improving the located within the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH), has the most ad- outcomes for pre-term babies is a challenge for Alberta. We have vanced resuscitation unit in the the highest rate of pre-term birth country. “We measure more parin the country; one in 10 babies “That first hour is a unique period in ameters and use the most advanced born in Alberta arrives before its technology. Staff members have emyour life. There is a lot of change as the full gestational age. braced it and the parents have been During the year, Dr. Schmölzbaby transitions from being supported great, as well,” says neonatologist er spends eight weeks caring for by the mother to being self-supported. babies in a clinical setting of the and researcher Dr. Georg SchmölzIt is the only time you can have lungs er, associate director of the Stollery’s NICU and the remainder of his neonatal research unit at the RAH. work time in his lab trying to defilled with water without drowning,” Both co-operation and the willtermine what can be done to help says Dr. Georg Schmölzer. ingness to try new approaches are babies in that first hour of life. required to learn the many things By understanding physiological we do not yet know about this first hour of life and how to resusci- changes – such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure tate babies, an area of research Dr. Schmölzer says has been neglected during this transition – Dr. Schmölzer believes neonatal resuscitafor decades. In 1929, a doctor named Yandell Henderson said that we tion can be improved. knew all there is to know about asphyxia and resuscitation. That reAs part of his professorship, he recently completed a study on a new mains far from true, and thanks to researchers like Dr. Schmölzer, we resuscitation technique. In the standard procedure, the baby’s chest is are continually adding to our body of knowledge. squeezed three times followed by a one-breath rest, then the pattern The Austrian-born doctor is interested in all of these physiological is repeated. “In our new approach we are combining both. While we changes at birth as well as neonatal resuscitation, simulation and venti- squeeze the chest, air naturally flows in and out so we do not stop and lation. Recently awarded the Heart and Stroke Foundation/University rest,” explains Dr. Schmölzer. With the standard method, the baby’s of Alberta Professorship in Neonatal Resuscitation, Dr. Schmölzer says heart responded after 200 seconds, over three-and-a-half minutes, but this is an acknowledgment of the essential work he and his colleagues with the new process that time was reduced to 30 seconds. This is do. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation supports Dr. Schmöl- critical to restoring blood circulation to all vital organs, particularly zer’s research through the Women and Children’s Health Research the brain, which is the most vulnerable organ, and the faster it returns Institute (WCHRI) by supporting one of his summer students last year. to normal functions, the better the outcome for the baby. Dr. Schmölzer always wanted to be a pediatrician but his desire to Attending to these tiny pre-term babies can be a stressful time as prohelp the smallest babies was born after watching a documentary about fessionals strive to do all the steps correctly in a crisis. Yet for a researcher the NICU while in his second year of medical school. He completed like Dr. Schmölzer, “It’s exciting! We get to see how the baby reacts, and pediatric and advanced neonatal training in Austria and Australia. His by using what we have learned in the lab, we can give the baby the best PhD thesis, Monitoring Respiratory Functions During Neonatal Resuscita- chance for life.” tion, investigated how to help babies breathe after birth. It was awarded Unwinding from his, at times, stressful work, Dr. Schmölzer tries to the Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal for the best PhD thesis of the fac- do one or two marathons a year, keeping his lungs healthy just as he ulty of medicine at Monash University in Australia in 2011. strives to do with the babies he helps.

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2014-10-27 12:22 PM

teamwork

TUNED IN BY Jen Janzen | PHOTOS BY Amy Senecal

The Stollery’s neonatal transport team acts as a doctor’s eyes and ears while en route

HEN HEIDI HARING GOES TO WORK, SHE HAS NO add humidity for temperature regulation. Developed by the Stollery’s idea what will happen that day. She might be whisked biomedical team, these special incubators are called “the Stork.” off via helicopter to a remote care centre in the Yukon or The Stollery operates two neonatal intensive care units (NICUs): be driven across Edmonton in an ambulance. On a very with 66 beds at the Royal Alexandra Hospital as well as 15 specialized rare day, she might not leave the hospital at all. surgical NICU beds at the Walter C. Mackenzie Centre on the A neonatal transport nurse for 14 years, Heidi likes it this way. “You University of Alberta campus, where the rest of the Stollery services never know what skills will be needed,” she says. In other words, she are. Each nurse member of the transport team divides time between has to be ready for anything. the two locations. The team at the Stollery Children’s Hospital site is Heidi is part of the Stollery Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal “first call,” meaning they’ll attend the first call of the day. The second Transport Team, which travels around northern Alberta and parts call of the day comes out of the Stollery’s Royal Alex site. When a of the northern territories to move newborns in need of more transport nurse isn’t on a call, he or she is helping out in the NICU specialized and advanced care to or on the labour and delivery unit. other facilities. The babies range “We have extra training,” Heidi “It’s very rewarding to see these from any gestational age – Heidi explains, “so we can do some has transported premature babies specialized treatments.” Transport tiny little babies survive. It’s truly born as young as 23 weeks up to nurses can place airways in babies amazing,” says neonatal transport 44 weeks, or four weeks past the (also known as intubation) and, nurse Heidi Haring. mother’s due date. The Stollery when needed, insert IV lines Children’s Hospital Foundation through the umbilical cord. helps support the team, and has funded specialized equipment for When a call comes in to transfer a baby, the transport team, plus use in transport. a neonatologist (a pediatrician specially trained in newborn critical Marion Molesky, neonatal transport team leader and nurse care), hosts a conference call with the doctor in the outlying area. practitioner, describes neonatal transport as “bringing the intensive- Together, the team develops a care plan and the transport team, made care nursery to a peripheral centre.” An incubator is a must, in order up of a nurse and a respiratory therapist, travels to the baby. to regulate the fragile newborn’s temperature, as well as IV pumps Most of the time the team travels by ground, but reaches rural and for fluids, a ventilator, blood pressure and temperature monitors, remote areas by helicopter or small airplane, and sometimes even a among other devices. The Stollery’s transport incubators are specially jet if the destination is far away, such as some places in the Yukon. designed for northern transport, with double-walled Plexiglas to stay After assessing and stabilizing the infant, the team contacts the warmer in cold weather, a cover to keep the heat in, and the ability to neonatologist to update the doctor on the baby’s condition and see

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2014-10-27 12:23 PM

TEAMWORK: from left to right, Diane Barnett, Marion Molesky and Andrea Derkach are members of the neonatal transport team, which last year completed about 600 transfers of sick children.

HIGH-TECH: Special incubators nicknamed the Stork were developed by the Stollery’s biomedical team. if there are further orders. Then the team takes the infant to the care facility that best meets the baby’s needs. There are three tiers of neonatal care: level one, in which a baby can stay with its mother; level two, for babies with IVs or mild breathing problems; and level three, for critically ill babies and those with lifethreatening conditions. Any hospital is a level one nursery, Marion explains. Level two hospitals are located in Grande Prairie and Red Deer, as well as two in Edmonton at the Misericordia and Grey Nuns Hospitals. Babies needing level three care are taken to one of the Stollery’s NICUs. There are 15 nurses and 30 respiratory therapists on the neonatal transport team. Last year, they completed about 600 transfers. As the doctor’s “eyes and ears,” Heidi says they all have to be in tune with each other. “The doctors trust us to assess a baby and give a picture on how this baby is presenting to know exactly what kind of care will be needed,” she says. “You really get to know your team members and S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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the people you go out with. Often there are so many non-verbal skills. It’s a very cohesive team.” Marion agrees, adding the team has to be able to handle any emergency together. When a team is out on a call, many kinds of medical intervention could be required, from a routine IV or a full resuscitation. “It’s crucial they be able to communicate,” she says. Sharing information with the baby’s family is just as important as communicating with transport team members. “You need the ability to work under pressure and the ability to talk to the parents. You need to reassure them, and your communication skills and empathy are huge,” she says. Even though Heidi has made nearly 800 transport trips over her 14-year career, she still gets emotional when the families are struggling with the reality of a newborn needing such intensive interventions. “All their dreams and what they thought would happen after a delivery and it’s not happening that way,” she says. “Many times, you shed a tear for them.” Despite their inherent fragility, Heidi says the tiny babies her team transports are often incredibly strong. “It’s very rewarding to see these tiny little babies survive,” she says. “It’s truly amazing.”

CRITICAL CASH: The transport program is officially recognized as the CN Critical Care Transport Program, after a $2.7 million donation through the CN Miracle Match program directed for critical care transport, which the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation also helped fund. For information about how to give to the Foundation, visit stollerykids.com. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-27 12:23 PM

MEET THE specialist

PHOTO: AMY SENECAL

VOICE WHISPERER: This Stollery respiratory therapist, with decades of neonatal intensive care unit experience behind her, is an expert at helping her tiny patients find their voice.

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Baby’s

Breath BY Nadia Moharib

Respiratory therapist specializing in NICU cases is encouraged by her Stollery patients

OMETIMES RHAE-ANN ROSE QUITE LIKES THE SOUND

of a baby crying. An odd penchant, perhaps, but for the dedicated respiratory therapist with more than three decades of clinical practice, hearing tiny patients find their voice is an encouraging, life-affirming moment to be cherished. Babies in the Stollery Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are often hooked up to a ventilator and breathing tubes, as well as feeding tubes, leaving them – when they try to express themselves in the only language they know – silent. “You see their face wrinkled up, you see the emotion, but you can’t hear it,” Rhae-Ann explains. She is candid in saying she has shed tears. “You learn there are some things you can do something about and some things you can’t,” she says of one of the tougher lessons her work has taught her. It is relatively easy for professionals in the Stollery’s 15-bed, pre- and post-surgical NICU to come to grips with an infant’s medical reality, but Rhae-Ann knows how devastating and difficult it can be for parents to wrap their heads around the facts. “We have medical training and education … we can understand and know where it’s most likely going to end up. They just had a baby and it’s not supposed to be like this. You have to respect their decisions ... some of them may need a little more time. If the parents want to keep going, you keep going. You can’t pass judgment,” she says. “Parents have to make a lot of decisions. In some cases they decide to put the breathing tube back in and in other cases, when nothing can be done, they have to let their baby go. We all cry about that.” Dramatic changes have unfolded since Rhae-Ann earned her diploma from NAIT, and the payoff is garnered by present-day patients. “The specialty of neonatal critical care was just getting going in the ’70s when most literature was based on adults so you had to figure out how to adapt it for neonates,” says Rhae-Ann, who has spent the bulk of her career at the Stollery NICU, which benefits from ongoing support from donors through the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It has been a learning curve and I’m still learning things every day.” She says the changes in equipment alone during her tenure have made the job easier. A ventilator, for instance, used to have just one mode, unlike today, where therapists have multiple modes of invasive and non-invasive ventilation to support different types of conditions and different breathing requirements. “In the early days, you would max out on that one mode, and if it didn’t work, there was no more we could do,” she says. “Technology is changing everything. Its changes are like night and day – the equipment we have, the knowledge, the team support. Now, when we do rounds, it’s not just doctors and nurses, it’s the doctors and fellows and residents, charge nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, a pharmacist, a dietary tech-

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nician and respiratory therapists. Thirty years ago, the doctors sort of told everyone what to do and you did it. It wasn’t a team approach.” Perhaps one of the most valued team members are the parents of youngsters who are grappling with congenital conditions, heart problems, being born too early or simply struggling to breathe. And the courage and class they often exemplify never fails to inspire Rhae-Ann. “We’ve had some families who lost their child thank us and send us baking for everything we did. I can’t help but think, ‘How can you be doing this at this time?’ They are done with us, they don’t have to come back and they still find it in themselves to come back and say ‘Thank you.’ It’s heart-wrenching actually.” The cases where parents lose children never get any easier for this grandmother who, in these worst-case scenarios, is tasked with shutting down the ventilator. “It signifies the end,” Rhae-Ann says. “Thank God, we don’t have to do it very often,” she adds, noting that’s in large part due to the ongoing investment in specialized equipment and services provided by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. But in a career where “good days outnumber bad days,” Rhae-Ann has witnessed what she calls miracles, such as the time a little girl was born at 23 weeks in 1991 when technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and she struggled with every breath. It was a true miracle she survived, says Rhae-Ann. “Now, we resuscitate 23-week-old babies on a regular basis. They make up a large part of our premature population in NICU.” Rhae-Ann also remembers a little boy who was born with his heart outside of his body, because his chest hadn’t closed. “He’s another miracle. He just graduated from high school with honours,” Rhae-Ann says of the boy. “He has had some ups and downs, but he was just strong and resilient. His parents were incredible.” Other days offer more subtle, smaller miracles – good days when Rhae-Ann can remove breathing tubes and allow a baby to “give it a go” (at breathing) on their own. “They make a little gag, a little cough, a little cry. They are making noise and it’s great,” she says. “I am amazed at how strong these kids are. They can have had their chest wall opened for surgery and they are sitting up, looking around and happy a short time after surgery.” The infants, arriving from all over Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon, are contending with serious medical issues to be sure, and their parents are often equally impressive in the ability to see past all the unique and challenging medical realities foisted upon them. “When they look at their children, it is amazing,” Rhae-Ann says. “They can look past all the medical equipment. They see it, and then they don’t. They just see their baby. It is very comforting.” F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-27 12:24 PM

volunteer HERO

STOLLERY

FOR LIFE BY Séamus Smyth

HE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL HAD BEEN A

humbling sanctuary for volunteer Sharon Howie for a heart-enriching three years before her soul began to yearn for a new environment to donate her time to. She began researching other non-profits to determine where her services could be best used. Oftentimes, volunteers will change organizations in order to be as helpful and generous to as many people as possible. But the idea of switching teams lost all momentum the day she heard the journey of an incredible woman who spoke at a Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s volunteer appreciation function, Gala in Blue Jeans, more than a decade-and-a-half ago. “She said her child had been in the hospital for 360 days out of the year. She explained how it had affected her marriage, her relationships and her overall life,” says Sharon. The heart-wrenching speech from this Stollery family registered so heavily with Howie that she realized she would forever look to help the Stollery. It was insight provided by the brave mother that demonstrated to Howie just how much influence a severe health issue can have. “You just need to help out in every way, because it is not just the children that are affected. It’s the siblings, the families, the relationships; it’s everything,” she says. With such fierce inspiration at her side, Sharon went on to become even more involved with the hospital and has now been a source of immense help for an incredible 17 years. What impresses her most about the hospital is, upon taking a tour of the facility, is how everything has been custom-fit for children to ensure that boys and girls are as comfortable as possible and can be treated in the best way. “A lot of the fundraising by the Foundation goes to this special equipment, which is very, very significant,” she explains. What has become the cornerstone project for Sharon is the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s annual Snowflake Gala. What she enjoys most about the winter-themed affair is its focus on the families at the Stollery by providing them with an evening of fun. It is one of the only black-tie fundraisers specifically for families in Edmonton, typically hosting around 1,450 guests. The event traditionally features 28

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Fierce inspiration and kids keep this volunteer coming back 17 years later

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a massive feast, a dance and guest speakers that touch on the importance of everyone involved. Sharon finds this event to be more of a celebration than an emotionally-exhausting affair, and it’s this festive mood that seems to bring out the best in her. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation’s senior manager of special events, Aneesa Murji, recalls her first time working with Sharon, noting that her commitment to the cause was an immediately notable trait. “She is always willing to step up to the plate. She has a passion for the Stollery, so anytime something comes up, she’s in. She is always ready to drop anything and this is why she is so integral to our events,” says Aneesa. “The Foundation can’t function without people like her. She always takes a leadership role,” she adds. Aneesa says Sharon’s sense of humour and ability to build an immediate rapport with event guests and attendees sets a great example for new volunteers. Sharon will often act as the registration captain, meaning that she is one of the first volunteers that guests will interact with at the door. “It is a fitting role. She is warm, welcoming and a wonderful soul,” she says of Sharon. Sharon has been retired for nine years and spends her time golfing and taking pride in her community. Of course, the veteran volunteer still finds time for charity work, helping not only with the Snowflake Gala, but with the Foundation’s volunteer appreciation Gala in Blue Jeans and the Mother’s Day Run & Walk committees. S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

2014-10-27 12:25 PM

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

All proceeds support the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

SHOP TODAY!

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10/7/2014 2:09:06 PM

A Joy thAt is shAred is A Joy mAde double

sAy it with An e-CArd

Making a donation to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in lieu of sending a gift or card is the perfect way to spread the joy this season. With a minimum donation of $25, we will provide you with an e-card to share with valued employees, customers and clients, or your family and friends. Share your holiday cheer with the special people in your life by letting them know you’re helping to send more children home to their families each year. Contact our Community Initiatives team at 780.433.5437 or visit www.stollerykids.com to make this a part of your holiday giving.

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10/7/2014 2:07:36 PM

2014-10-27 12:25 PM

milestone

DRIVEN TO

GIVE BACK BY Séamus Smyth

An anchor for the Tee Up For Tots Golf Invitational gives credit to the city’s spirit of giving

HE MAY STILL BE WORKING TO PERFECT HER LONG

teams. It would be the beginning of a spirited relationship with the drive and short game on the golf course, but she has become participants and a tournament that manages to remain successful year a certified master at swinging her clubs whenever the Stollery after year. is looking for volunteers to tee off for a noble cause. Started by Edmonton Oilers president Kevin Lowe, along with local Norma Gordon, a proud resident of the world’s most northern Edmonton clothier and businessman Sam Abouhassan, the tournametropolitan city, has been an anchor for the Stollery Children’s Hos- ment is now run by a dedicated committee, and saw its 15th annual pital Foundation’s Tee Up For Tots Golf Invitational for more than a iteration recently raise more than $825,000. Tee Up For Tots has decade now, yet she gives Edmonton’s gratuitous spirit the credit. “I helped fund priority projects at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, feel there are a lot of people that are real givers in Edmonton,” Nor- and this year’s sold-out event is no exception. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation ma says about what keeps her has embarked on an ambigiving back. “Norma is very, very good at asking tious five-year fundraising While raising her three important questions to ensure that what campaign entitled “Critical daughters in the town of Valshe is supporting is making a difference,” for Care” to raise $15 million leyview, Alberta, she managed says Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation to address operational and into donate her time to her local president and CEO Mike House. tegrated needs at the Stollery. Kinsmen Club and, later, the The success of this campaign University of Alberta’s Festival of Trees. It was a natural inclination to continue down an altruistic will ensure expanded operative and critical care services and uppath as she made the capital city home. When she lost her husband graded outpatient care clinics with respect to programming, research in 2000, Norma knew that she must continue her generous ways and and resources. Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation president and CEO Mike maintain a positive outlook on life. She realized she had always been an expert at discovering ways to donate her time to the community, House stresses how important these expensive tools are to the care and the Stollery Children’s Hospital would be the latest beneficiary and recuperation of many of the young patients. “When you go into an adult hospital, everyone and everything is the same size, relatively of her caring spirit. That same year, Norma signed up for the Tee Up For Tots tourna- speaking. So the size of an adult heart is basically the same for all pament, quickly discovering that she was the only woman ready to tee tients,” he says. “But in the Stollery operating rooms, you might have a off. Despite the male-dominated event, she felt no nerves and had a baby that has the heart the size of a walnut or the size of an adult male splendid time with her foursome, who placed second amidst the 20 or a baby that has veins thinner than a human hair. With all the varia-

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STOLLERY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

KIDS’ CRUSADER: Norma Gordon has enjoyed supporting the foundation’s Tee Up For Tots Golf Invitational for more than a decade.

tions in size and physiology in infants and children, you need equipment to deal with these specialized needs.” A man that joined the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation two years ago, Mike is familiar with Norma’s generous spirit. “In this job, with all the people that you meet – my first impression was just so much generosity and so much kindness to the ‘new guy.’ I am lucky to have built a friendship with Norma. It’s all based on her kindness and that reflects in the tournament,” he says. Mike mentions that it’s not only her easy demeanour, but also Norma’s need to understand the fundraising process to make sure information is as transparent as possible that makes her contributions S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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valuable. “Norma is very, very good at asking important questions to ensure that what she is supporting is making a very real difference,” he says. Norma doesn’t have a set end goal or cap in place for her contributions. She plans to continue proudly representing a segue between the Stollery veteran volunteers and the new guard of champions rising in a city bustling with young and old “givers” looking to give their time and love to our children’s hospital. “I will keep doing this as long as I can. I just love doing this – it keeps me young and it gives me a great feeling about raising money for a much-needed cause.” F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

2014-10-27 12:26 PM

corporate HEROES

CLEAR

COMMITMENT BY Lucy Haines

All-West Glass has shown its dedication with a $200,000 pledge to children’s hospitals

T’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO CALL THE MANAGEMENT

and employees at All-West Glass (AWG) community-minded. The auto, home and commercial glass company, with 19 locations across Canada’s northwest, makes community involvement part of everyday business, whether by sponsoring local school sports teams or collecting donations via fundraising barbecues, lemonade stands or countertop donation boxes for the many charitable groups the company supports. “For over 40 years, we’ve partnered with many organizations to help them reach their goals, giving to food banks, women’s shelters, school and community clubs – whatever matters to the people in communities where we also work and live,” says AWG Northern Industries president Dan Young. “But we do have a soft spot for kids. Many of our employees are parents too, of course, so we want to help the children in our communities however we can.” AWG has a long tradition of being a good corporate citizen in the northern communities it represents, treating employees and customers like family. Young, who grew the business from lean years as a busy glazier, based in Smithers, B.C., now employs more than 350 people – 175 of them as glaziers – making AWG the largest all-service glass company in Northwestern Canada. In 2009, and with a push from Dan, the company took a substantial step towards helping sick kids in B.C. and northern Alberta by making a 10-year, $100,000 pledge to both the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. While Dan says the donation is a guaranteed $10,000 each year, he still encourages a spirit of volunteerism and generosity in his employees. From staff barbecues to friendly fundraising challenges, staff at AWG’s four Alberta locations, help add to the tally of what is donated to the Stollery each year. There’s a great connection between AWG’s locations in Alberta, B.C., the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, and the Stollery’s 32

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catchment area, according to Dan. But while the company’s branches across Northwestern Canada support Stollery kids and community kids alike, the modest CEO shies away from promoting any particular branch or event. “Access to these hospitals is challenging for some of our families in the north, so we want to support the Stollery’s life-giving work as much as we can,” Dan says. “I intend to continue to push for that.” The company’s dedication to community has indeed translated into a volunteer-oriented workforce. At branches from Edmonton, Dawson Creek and Grande Prairie, to Peace River, Prince George and Yellowknife (and everywhere in between), AWG employees are involved in Rotary, volunteer firefighting and sports coaching, to name a few pursuits. At the company’s Whitecourt, Alberta, location, a customer was even moved by the company’s philanthropy to create a wooden wishing well to help collect donations for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. The custom-built effort sits proudly in that office, with a donation box that fills up regularly with coins and bills from staff and customers. Event sponsorship happens year-round for AWG, from Aboriginal Youth Hockey Championships in Prince George, to the Yukon Quest Dog Sled Race in Whitehorse. And in Edmonton, AWG has joined forces with Team Sweeting for the next four years as it makes a quest to become Scott Tournament of Hearts champions and represent Canada on the world stage at the 2018 Winter Olympics. “We spend about half our advertising budget on sponsorships – hundreds of things in every community,” adds Dan. “It’s ultimately about helping kids. Sometimes the remote northern locations mean it’s difficult for kids and their families to get what they need, so that’s where we step in.” Laura Stanton, vice-president of All-West Glass, and Dan’s daughter, will be taking over the president’s position when he retires and will definitely follow the company’s tradition of giving, says Dan. S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALL-WEST GLASS

FAMILY WAY: President of All-West Glass Northern Industries Dan Young will one day pass both the torch and a soft spot for kids and the Stollery to his daughter and current AWG vice-president Laura Stanton.

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PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

BIG SUPPORTER: Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation president & CEO Mike House, left, says more and more youngsters like Dylan Knapton, centre, are stepping up to help the Stollery.

LIKE FATHER,

LIKE SON BY Lucy Haines

For this resourceful 11-year-old, philanthropy may just be in the genes

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11-year-old. He likes hanging out with friends, doing things with his sisters Sarah, 13 and Ashlyn, 8, and playing hockey – plenty of hockey. But unlike most kids his age, the usually reserved sixth grader is a tireless advocate for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, raising money from family and friends, and even canvassing door to door in his neighbourhood. It’s a task Dylan has taken upon himself – and perhaps something he’s gleaned from his parents. Jason and Jeannine say they have always taught their children to simply be good human beings and to make a difference in their community. “Dylan has a good heart and a generous spirit – he’s a quiet, gentle kid who comes out of his shell when he’s asking people to support the Stollery,” says Jason. “He’s taking the ball and running with it.” The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, as Jason – president of Great Canadian Roofing, Siding, and Windows – has been helping the Stollery for over a decade. “Our family has been blessed with health and not had urgent need of the hospital, but we realize its importance and the specialized care the Stollery provides,” Jason says. “I started supporting the Stollery personally and corporately about 10 years ago through radiothons and other fundraising events, so Dylan and his sisters are growing up with this as a regular part of their lives.” Mike House, president and CEO of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, calls Dylan a “wonderful young man, from a great family.” Dylan attributes his spirit of generosity to his dad, remembering being part of golf tournaments and other events that support the Stollery. “My folks are proud, and I’m proud of myself too,” Dylan says. “It’s nice to help kids that are sick.” So what exactly has this young man taken on? In February of 2013, at age 9, Dylan and his hockey team participated in the annual Stollery Family Day Classic hockey tournament. An estimated 1,000 kids, supporters and in doing so made a great difference in the lives of kids aged eight to 12, were challenged to raise $150 each in support of the just like them.” Still an avid player, with dreams of playing hockey for a living Stollery, but Dylan wasn’t content with that. This tenacious boy set a someday, Dylan looks forward to the next Stollery Family Day Classic personal goal of raising 10 times that amount: $1,500. “Dylan was very focused, and by going door to door, soliciting hockey tournament as part of a new team, but with the same goal: family and friends and even his sisters, he was able to raise to beat last year’s total. “It’s nice to give, especially from one kid to approximately $7,000 – and his team raised about $12,000,” Jason another,” Dylan adds. Funds raised from the February says. “He was very determined and 13-16 Stollery Family Day Classic proud to make a difference that “We’re extremely proud that Dylan puts go towards supporting the ophfirst year.” thalmology unit that is being reIn February of this year, Dylan’s as much passion and determination furbished at the Stollery. For many new team, the Whitemud West into supporting the Stollery as he does kids, Mike said, this centre will be Vipers, entered the same tourto hockey,” says dad Jason Knapton. incredibly important in addressnament. Again, Dylan aimed to ing vision issues and eye injuries. match his previous year’s tally of $7,000 – already a huge number – but with the same earnest effort It will be a place to treat newborns all the way up to older teenagers he showed the year before, the Grade 5 student raised $10,061 on with equipment and a space dedicated to their needs. And with the annual Hair Massacure head shave, supporting his own. “This winter, he went out in temperatures colder than -30C, again Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Alberta and the Stollery asking friends and family, and enlisting the help of his sister Sarah, Children’s Hospital Foundation, also in his sights, and sisters who who went through the neighbourhood with him a couple of times,” have taken up the cause too (they recently set up a lemonade stand to Jason says. “Ashlyn even gave Dylan some of her allowance for the raise money for the Stollery), it seems Dylan and his entire family are cause.” In the end, Dylan was the top fundraiser of the entire event, making supporting the Stollery Children’s Hospital a family practice. “We’re extremely proud that Dylan puts as much passion and while his hockey team raised $17,000 and the event brought in more determination into supporting the Stollery as he does to hockey,” than $375,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. “The team came together and did a great job of raising funds for adds Jason. “Not only is he an inspiration to other kids, he’s an kids at the Stollery,” says Mike. “They won over the hearts of their inspiration to me too!” S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON KNAPTON

PHOTO: NICKI WOHLAND

N MANY WAYS, DYLAN KNAPTON IS LIKE A TYPICAL

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Thank you! On behalf of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, thank you to our Children’s Miracle Network family for raising over $4 million this year to fund excellence at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Your valued contributions help sick and injured kids in our community discover their potential.

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BY Cory Schachtel

portrait

Family Support At the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit, families and staff collaborate to empower parents with newborns Jodie faced every new parent’s nightmare. Five hours after his birth, doctors at the Stollery Children’s Hospital were working on their newborn son to fix his congenital heart defect. Six weeks and one open-heart surgery later, there was nothing else staff could do. Young Frazer got to go home for the first, last and only time. This heartbreaking experience was only the beginning of their relationship with the Stollery Children’s Hospital – one that would fortunately turn their personal tragedy into improved care for future families facing the same devastation. “It’s a bizarre time when you have a child in the NICU,” Allan says. “You’re potentially a brand new parent, bringing this child into the world, and all of a sudden, your child is very sick.” In followup meetings, Allan and Jodie learned about a group of families working with staff and physicians on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Advisory Care Team (NICU FACT). This team takes a 360-degree look at newborn care, putting parents’ perspectives on par with physicians’ and staff to optimize clinical care, efficiency and comfort for babies, parents, siblings and staff. One year after his son died, Allan became the parent co-chair of the team. “One key thing is that it’s not just getting parents to advise, but to directly involve them in their child’s care,” he says. Heather McCrady, manager of the Stollery’s Family Centred Care program funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, was part of the team’s 2009 inception. “From the start, we wanted it to be collaborative, families working with staff and management,” she says. “We wanted to develop a consistent way of engaging families in the NICU.” The ever-growing team focuses on four main areas: training new staff, including medical fellows and nurses; reviewing policies and procedures to improve practices, including practice reviews; participating in staff selection for neonatologists senior level staff within the Stollery; and peer support, where parents like Allan and Jodie mentor families coping with the often-daunting NICU world. Only five years in, parental feedback has already changed both the methods of care and, soon, the facilities in which staff deliver it. Designs for the new Stollery NICU have extra space to support parents staying at their child’s bedside. Breast pumps and refrigerators for breast milk will be in all rooms to promote breast-feeding and to give mothers and family members as much time as possible to bond with their newborns. The new visitor policy, now called the “Family Participation Policy,” limits the number of visitors but not the length of visits, permitting parents 24/7 access to their child. “The big thing,” says Allan, “is S TO L L E RY K I D S. C O M

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PHOTO: BUFFY GOODMAN

IN 2011, ALLAN MACDAIRMID AND HIS WIFE

FAMILY FIRST: Following the death of his son, Allan MacDairmid became parent co-chair of NICU FACT, a family-led team that puts mothers’ and fathers’ perspectives on par with physicians and staff. that parents are no longer designated as visitors, but as partners in their child’s care.” Baby Milestones, another NICU FACT initiative, is a calendar with stickers commemorating different baby “firsts” that are specific to the NICU. “This came directly from families like the MacDairmids,” Heather says. “Through Allan, we made a connection with W.P. Wagner High School and had students design the calendar layout and stickers as a project in their design class.” There are firsts most parents can thankfully take for granted, which makes parents like Allan and Jodie cherish them even more. “Things like their first bottle feed, their first time breathing room air as opposed to intubated air are tracked on the calendar,” says Allan. “We introduced it in May, and parents dove into their journals to back-fill the important events. It helped them recognize there are still positive milestones to celebrate.” With help from the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Stollery Children’s Hospital’s reputation for groundbreaking technology and unique procedures is well known. The NICU FACT internalizes that same progressive approach, modernizing the mindset to match the equipment. “We are changing the way care is being done,” says Allan. “We’re glad it started with children, but our hope is that eventually this will overflow into the adult world as well.” F A L L 2 0 1 4 | HEROES

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THE LAST word

BY Jennifer Hanrahan

A Valentine’s Day Surprise AFTER EIGHT YEARS TOGETHER, WE GOT

ILLUSTRATION: HEFF O’REILLEY

married in April of 2012. Our daughter was conceived in August that year. Everything was planned to a tee. So much so, that the day after our last car payment was the same day as our positive pregnancy test. Our daughter was due to join us on June 4, 2013. After securing a midwife, we planned our home birth down to the iPod playlist. My husband, Stephen, was planning to assist. I was going to prepare snacks and walk throughout the labour. It would be quiet and calm. Our daughter would arrive gently into this world at her home, surrounded by love and the arms of two people who had wanted her for such a long time.

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Presen

On February 13, 2013, when I was 24 weeks and four days pregnant, our plans drastically changed. We lost any and all control. Upon walking in to the emergency at the Grey Nuns Hospital with what we considered to be normal Braxton Hicks contractions, I was rushed to the labour and delivery department. An ultrasound showed that my cervix was six centimetres dilated. There was a slow leak of amniotic fluid, and the umbilical cord was wrapped around our daughter’s neck. This little girl had a matter of days before she was to be born via C-section. We were rushed to the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) located at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. About 24 hours later, on Valentine’s Day, Amelia Elodie arrived via emergency C-section – weighing just one pound, 10 ounces. This was not the calm and gentle arrival of a pink chubby baby born into the aura of love that we had dreamed of. We felt combined shock, powerlessness and fear during the 24-hour whirlwind, after hearing the statistics related to our daughter’s viability and her future. Within minutes of being born, she had brain bleeds, she was on a ventilator and she had an infection. Her eyes were still fused shut and her translucent skin was full of wires and lines. We felt immense emptiness and grief. All we could do was to love her and hope; it was going to be a long road. With the support of the staff and physicians in the Stollery NICU, we got into a routine. We held Amelia as often as we could; it made us feel better and you could see that it gave her comfort, too. We chose her bed sheets and bathed her, we changed diapers and helped to feed and weigh her, we became parents and essential members of her care team! The three of us faced obstacles and setbacks, progress and growth, celebrating every single success until the biggest came: two days before her original due date, Amelia passed her car seat test and at 105 days old and six pounds, four ounces, she was discharged from the hospital. The first time that all three of us lay down in our bed together was overwhelming. We spent the first month home in bed, working on Amelia’s weight gain with feedings, and hiding her from germs. We were so happy to be home, but trauma and fragility followed us for some time. We started volunteering with the Stollery’s Family Centred Care Network on a few of their initiatives to make things easier for families in crisis. Through this, we started our own healing process. Slowly, the marks of the NICU are fading as Amelia grows. Today, she is a 22-pound, 18-month-old ham of a girl and we – all three of us – continue to grow as a family.

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The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation has embarked on an ambitious five-year fundraising campaign entitled “Critical for Care” to raise $15 million to address operational and integrated needs at the Stollery. Funds raised will ensure expanded operative and critical care services and upgraded outpatient care clinics reflect the highest-degree of excellence with respect to programming, research and resources. Thanks to all who supported the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids. Presenting Sponsor Thank you Mac & Mitch Homes for your support!

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Photo: (Left to Right) Dr. PatchUp, Dr. Keith Aronyk - Neurosurgeon, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Braden Mole - Junior Development Coordinator, Mike House - President & CEO, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

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The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation would like to thank and congratulate Braden Mole for raising $1 million in support of Stollery kids, just like him.