May 22

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Serving HIGH PARK-SWANSEA, ST. CLAIR, THE JUNCTION and RONCESVALLES

www.thevillager.ca INSIDE Students support War Child with outdoor dance / 3

thurs may 22, 2014

This themed edition is dedicated to SickKids and the goals of healthyandhappy.com

NICU delivers delicate care ®

SickKids supported parents and their baby born with gastrochisis

OPINION It’s not only Doug Ford’s comments that are disturbing /4 CALENDAR Catch acoustic open mic night and other local events / 16

SHOPPING wagjag.com AMAZING DEALS ON GROUP DISCOUNTS

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SHOP AND EARN, EVERY TIME!

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insidetoronto.com

School joins Jamie Oliver in worldwide cooking lesson

LISA RAINFORD lrainford@insidetoronto.com

LISA RAINFORD lrainford@insidetoronto.com

At six months of age, Alexis Ly gives every indication she’s a happy, healthy and confident baby. Her father, Lester Ly, says she’s a feisty little one, who’s got a voice when she chooses to use it. On this particular Tuesday evening in May at a Bloor West Village coffee shop not far from where the family lives, Alexis was content to snuggle in her dad’s arms, uttering the odd gurgle. One could never guess that the first month of her life was less than idyllic.

It was organized chaos as more than 190 students at Warren Park P.S. attempted to break the Guinness Book World Record for the most participants in a cookery lesson in 24 hours. Their efforts were part of acclaimed British chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day, Friday, May 16. Students in kindergarten to Grade 6 joined their international classmates around the world to make >>>SCHOOL’S, page 15

The Villager supports healthy, happy children

ABDOMINAL DEFECT Before she was even born, Alexis was diagnosed with gastrochisis, a congenital defect where the abdominal wall does not fully close and the bowel protrudes through a hole by the belly button. Doctors suspected something was amiss during mom Alice Kung’s second ultrasound at 15 weeks. Following a ‘full anatomy ultrasound’ at 17 weeks, their suspicions rang true. “ We were pretty shellshocked,” said Kung, who went for monthly ultrasounds throughout her pregnancy so doctors could monitor her daughter’s growth. About one in every 2,500

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Staff photo/IAN KELSO

Surgery helped correct Alexis Ly’s gastrochisis – a condition where her bowel grew outside of her body. She’s now healthy and doing well at home with parents Alice and Lester.

to 3,000 babies are born with the abdominal defect, according to one of Alexis’ physicians, SickKids’ Dr. Nigel Hall. Gastrochisis tends to affect younger mothers – those under

20, which wasn’t the case for Kung. “It’s one of the congenital anomalies that are increasing in incidences and we don’t know why,” Hall said.

Because the couple was told that due to their daughter’s condition, the placenta had the potential of failing in the late days of pregnancy, Kung was >>>DESPITE, page 18

Welcome to our annual Hospital for Sick Children – or SickKids – themed edition. While you will find your regular community stories and features in your Villager, the balance of stories are in support of Healthy and Happy Month at SickKids. Why do we do this? The health of our children is too important. There are far too many signs >>>MAKE, page 8


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