CHEO is a proud member of
Teddy Bear
Times
Spring 2014
CHEO’s SuperHEROES:
Bravery displayed daily
CHEO Champion
Child Tyler Preston
Contents
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40063574
© Andrew Balfour
By definition a hero is a person distinguished by courage,
noble deeds and outstanding achievements. Ask any parent
at CHEO and they will likely say their child’s doctor is their
hero. The staff at CHEO hear that all the time. But, ask
physicians about whom their heroes are and they will answer
they are the children and teenagers because of the bravery
CHEO patients display every day.
These kids undergo grueling treatments and surgeries, too
many needle pokes, side effects of medications and so much
more, yet through it all they still smile, want to play, and say
thank you to those helping them. They epitomize what it is
to be a hero. Some might even call them SuperHEROES –
people with extraordinary heroic attributes.
…3
CHEO’s SuperHEROES
1
CN Cycle
2
Paying it forward
4
Project Stitch
5
Children’s Miracle Network
6
From the hospital
7
Good Bear Awards
7
Forever CHEO
8
CN Cycle for CHEO
On Sunday, May 4 join us as we
cycle, walk or roll in support of CHEO’s
oncology patients. Bring a friend or bring
the whole family as thousands gather to
help kids with cancer. Not only are you
helping kids at CHEO you could win
prizes too. Visit www.cncycle.ca for
full details.
Meet the 2014 McDonald’s
Dream Team
Justin
Madison
© Photo courtesy of Valberg Imaging
Michael
Justin Leblanc – 10 years old
One day while at school Justin felt a
sharp pain in his leg after bumping it
against his desk. It persisted so much
an appointment at CHEO was needed.
An x-ray showed that Justin’s right
femur was paper-thin and had a hole
in it. He was diagnosed with Ewing’s
sarcoma, a cancerous bone tumour and
an aggressive approach was taken to
help him fight back.
2
Childhood cancer is rare, yet every year at CHEO there are approximately
75 new diagnoses. The children, youth and families who are confronted
with a cancer diagnosis rely on the staff at CHEO to help them through this
difficult journey. This is why the CN Cycle for CHEO, the hospital’s largest
pediatric cancer fundraiser, is such an important community event in the
national capital region.
To find out more about CN Cycle for CHEO
please visit www.cncycle.ca.
In an attempt to save his leg, a limbpreserving surgery was chosen to
replace his bone with an implant that
will grow with him. Limb preservation,
or limb sparing surgery, is a surgical
procedure where the cancerous bone is
removed and replaced with, in this case,
a telescopic metal implant. It took 12
hours to remove the tumour and install
the new state-of-the-art implant. In the
end, the tumour in his leg bone, as well
as half of his femur, were removed.
Ewing’s sarcoma can spread quickly
and has a tendency to come back, so
patients require treatment to the whole
body as well as to the site of the initial
tumour. Justin therefore had to receive
an intensive course of chemotherapy
that made him quite ill. Even though
his treatment was tough Justin kept his
sense of humour and positive attitude
intact. He truly is an inspiration to other
CHEO patients.
Madison Primeau – 8 years old
Madison is usually a very active and
happy girl who loves hockey and being
with her family. She has an infectious
laugh and a knack for making instant
friends. But when this normally healthy
girl’s legs gave out while skating, she
developed a sore neck and started to
constantly feel nauseated, her parents
sought medical help.
After many tests, the specialists came
back with a diagnosis: medulloblastoma
which is the most common malignant
brain tumour in children. Last July,
Madison underwent a 15 ½ hour surgery
to remove the cancerous tumour that
had lodged itself in her brainstem.
Maddie’s treatments also involved
radiation and chemotherapy which she
bravely endured. She has completed
her treatment and is receiving care for
residual issues like her feeding tube and
chemotherapy side effects, but she is
back at school and on the ice, playing
for the local Novice team back home.
Go Madison!
Michael Meehan – 7 years old
CHEO is a very special place to the
Meehan family. Michael was born with
Down Syndrome and Agenesis of the
Corpus Callosum and because of these
early challenges CHEO has been a part
of Michael’s life right from the beginning.
Like many families they didn’t realize
how lucky they were to have access to a
world class organization like CHEO until
they really needed it. When Michael was
diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic
Leukemia (ALL) in January they really
learned just how special CHEO is.
This latest chapter of Michael’s CHEO
story started on the ski slopes last winter.
It was after his second downhill ski
lesson that Michael started to complain
about some pain in his side. When the
pain continued a late night visit to CHEO
was in order. It was a total shock to the
family when tests revealed that Michael
had cancer.
He was admitted and needed to begin
chemotherapy immediately if he was
going to survive. Michael, always smiling
and ready with a hug, never complained.
Michael fights this fight every day but he
doesn’t do it alone. The knowledgeable,
helpful and caring staff at CHEO fight
with him and for that the Meehans are
eternally grateful.
To read the kids’ full stories please
visit www.cncycle.ca. The McDonald’s
Dream Team is hoping you will join them
on Sunday, May 4 to help them raise
money for oncology care at CHEO.
With your support we can all make a
difference for kids like Justin, Madison
and Michael. For more information about
the event please visit our website.
CHEO’s SuperHEROES (cont’d)
On June 7 and 8 the Ottawa community will be privy to many of CHEO’s
Superheroes – the doctors and nurses who go the extra mile each and
every day to not only help patients medically, but emotionally as well, and
the children who bravely fight their own battles. This special weekend
will highlight exceptional stories but will also give light to the hundreds
of community members that come forward all year long to say that
CHEO matters. The Telethon weekend is a celebration of courage and
commitment and a testament to the generous donors that make all the
lifesaving work at CHEO possible.
Please tune into the CHEO Telethon on CTV. By supporting CHEO you too
can do a noble deed and “Be a SuperHERO for Kids.” Together we can
make a difference in the life of a child.
Logo design by Taylor Creighton of
Sir Robert Borden High School.
3
Paying it Forward:
a Family’s Gift of Appreciation
Ann and Dave Trick pose in front of the electronic donor wall at the CHEO Foundation’s donor appreciation night.
Gratitude can come in many forms: a smile, a thank you for a
job well-done, or a note of appreciation. For CHEO’s Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU) it came as a very generous
$100,000 gift from the Dave and Ann Trick Family Foundation.
4
Many of the Trick’s nine grandchildren have used the services
at CHEO for everything from broken bones to diagnostics
and treatment for various health issues over the years. They
are grateful that they are all healthy and thriving children and
teenagers. But most recently, their youngest granddaughter,
Emily was rushed to CHEO immediately after her birth. It was
soon discovered she had suffered a stroke in-utero. During her
two week stay at CHEO, the NICU team cared for Emily and
thanks to their intervention she is now an active and outgoing
two year old who charms everyone she meets.
One year after Emily’s birth the Trick Family decided to make
a donation to CHEO toward equipment for the NICU. Their
support allowed the unit to acquire a video-laryngoscope to
treat CHEO’s tiniest and most fragile babies. This piece of
equipment provides many advantages for patient safety. For
newborns and pre-mature infants visualization of the air-way
for intubation proves to be very difficult and can sometimes
result in cardiovascular resuscitation and the need for cardiac
compressions. The video-laryngoscope gives physicians and
respiratory therapists clear visualization of the air-way and
results in a marked decrease in trauma to the pharynx and
trachea during difficult intubations. Other benefits of this
piece of equipment are training and skill enhancement. As
a teaching hospital associated with the University of Ottawa,
CHEO trains medical residents and respiratory therapists.
Instead of honing their skills on patients, the inexperienced
or novice health care provider can now simulate and practice
on a mannequin. They receive training with on-screen visual
confirmation and gain experience faster, resulting in improved
skill levels and safer intubations in real-life and emergency
situations. This acquisition of this equipment would not have
been possible without the incredible support received from the
Dave and Ann Trick Family Foundation.
During a recent visit to CHEO the Trick Family met with the
NICU’s medical team who gave a demonstration of the videolaryngoscope. Mr. and Mrs. Trick also brought two surprises
with them that day – a healthy and vibrant Emily and another
donation of $100,000 towards the NICU for equipment! CHEO
is extremely grateful to the Trick family for their continued
generosity and kindness.
This donation provides CHEO with the most advanced medical
equipment and the knowledge that children like Emily receive
the best care possible. This is what the cycle of generosity is
all about.
© Photo courtesy of Randy Harquail
gratitude
Introducing Project Stitch: CHEO’s new plan to
improve surgical services to the community
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the demand for
pediatric surgery and diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopies, at CHEO. This
means that many parents in our community know all too well the stress of having to
wait for their child’s elective surgical procedure or diagnostic testing. Such delays can
impact a child’s medical outcome, and his or her ability to grow, develop and learn.
CHEO is therefore preparing to move and reorganize
its day care surgery and recovery units, build two
new procedure rooms dedicated to inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD) procedures and minor surgeries, expand
the number of recovery beds it has available, and
purchase state-of-the-art equipment, all to better serve
the children and youth in our community.
This ‘smart health’ undertaking is a $13 million project.
The provincial government will provide $8 million towards
the renovation, so the CHEO Foundation must raise an
additional $5 million to make this project come to fruition.
At the hospital, we’ve begun to fondly refer to it as
Project Stitch. It will allow CHEO surgeons to perform
an additional 2,200 procedures and surgeries per year,
and will reduce wait times by as much as three months.
In fact, Project Stitch will increase CHEO’s capacity to
perform surgeries by 29 percent. This means more kids
will feel much better faster!
The day care surgery renovation will also enhance the
patient experience by providing patients with more
privacy as they prepare for, and recover from, day
surgery. And funds raised will also help purchase new
state-of-the-art equipment such as an MRI. The better
equipped a hospital is, the higher level of care it can
provide its patients.
We currently have raised over $1 million of the $5 million
needed for us to proceed with the renovations. We hope
to have raised $2.5 million by this coming fall, when
construction is set to start. In fact, it will be our donors
who will help mark the occasion by helping to knock
down a wall to begin the renovations.
The sooner children in the community get the surgical
procedure they need, the sooner they’ll feel better and
get back to the business of being kids: playful and
carefree.
For more information on Project Stitch, please visit:
http://www.cheofoundation.com/project-stitch.
5
Children’s Miracle Network
The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) – often recognized by its hot air balloon logo– is an
organization that raises funds for, and helps increase the awareness of, some 170 pediatric
hospitals throughout North America. The CHEO Foundation is a proud member of the
Network and we are very happy that every donation made to the Network from the people
in our community goes directly to CHEO to support our children and youth who deserve the
best care possible.
From the hospital
Small changes can have big impact
hooks meant for medical teams and equipment. One of the
nurses took charge and arranged for hangers – and the allimportant cleaning of hangers! A simple change.
We are very thankful for the local businesses that support the Children’s Miracle Network;
they are respected leaders in their field, but in our eyes, they are also superheroes. After all,
what is a superhero if not someone who selflessly puts their own needs aside to come to
the assistance of someone else – oftentimes a stranger -who needs a little extra attention
and care…just like CHEO patients do.
The Ottawa Marriott is one such organization.
They have a strong moral code, undying motivation and a keen sense
of responsibility to help ensure that the littlest superheroes at CHEO
have the best chance to live long and powerful lives.
Below is a letter of thanks written by a CHEO mother and Ottawa
Marriott employee. Her daughter Lily is a CHEO patient who needs to
fight every day to remain healthy and strong. By any standards, this
young girl is exceptional in power, ability and strength.
My daughter’s name is Lily and she is four and half
years old. She is busy planning her upcoming birthday
party and wants to invite Mickey Mouse, The Wiggles,
Dora… and Spiderman! She loves everything about parties:
dancing, singing, opening presents and blowing out the
candles (hers or yours – it doesn’t matter). She just won
a silver medal at a Taekwon-Do tournament and started
kindergarten, where she is learning to read, count and
spell her name. She is a pretty busy kid and keeps us on our toes!
6
As much fun as she is having now, she had a bit of a rough go at the beginning. You see, she was born
at 25 weeks and two days and weighed in at one pound three ounces. It was pretty scary for us and
a bit of a surprise too. But she has been a fighter from the beginning! In the first 6 ½ months of her
life, she went through a LOT! Heart surgery, stomach surgery, laser eye surgeries, not to mention a
ridiculous number of needles, medications, poking, prodding, tubes up her nose and down her throat
and into her stomach and lungs, as well as a variety of breathing assistance devices. Not exactly
what I was expecting.
But through it all, we were well taken care of at CHEO. The angels (nurses) in the NICU took the
best care of our baby throughout her extended stay with them. They also did everything they could
to help my husband and I learn to take care of our daughter and her special needs. We felt like our
concerns were heard. Now, we go back to the hospital every few months for follow-ups and we always
swing by the NICU for a visit.
I want to thank everyone who gives to the Children’s Miracle Network. It is because of your donations
that our daughter - and thousands of other kids and their parents – can receive the best care in
the world!
Margaret Dennis, Corporate Sales Manager, Ottawa Marriott - and Lily’s mom.
The Oncology Unit (4 North) team participates in their daily
huddle.
CHEO recently adopted a new practice called “CHEOworks”
which is all about creating a workplace culture where
everyone is continuously improving the way we work. We
are enabling staff to come up with sustainable solutions to
everyday issues that stand in our way – and to ultimately
enhance the patient experience.
We have launched a variety of tools and initiatives as part
of CHEOworks, one of which is our “daily huddles.” These
huddles take place at our huddle boards and happen every
day for 15 minutes to ensure all staff are in the loop about
what is going on and can identify any issues.
One important component of the huddles is reviewing
quality improvement tickets – something on the unit that
needs fixing. These tickets can be submitted by anyone
(including parents and patients). They are reviewed in the
huddles and a staff member volunteers to find a solution.
For example, a parent posted a ticket about there being
no hangers in the closets, forcing families to use wall
Another example relates to our paging system. Previously,
clinicians would often page someone using the unit phone
and then walk away to do their work. The unit clerk would
be left to answer the return page moments later, but be
unaware of who had placed the page. A simple call out
sheet was created in which the person placing the page now
writes down the information – and the return calls are easily
redirected. This minimizes delays in service and makes us
more efficient in providing care to patients.
While these may only be small changes, combined they can
have a big impact on the way we deliver patient care.
We’ve been so pleased by the success of the fourth
floor pilot project that we are moving CHEOworks into
the Emergency department, pediatric intensive care unit,
Surgical and Rehabilitation Unit (5 East) and Corporate
Patient Services. Planning for this phase of the project will
begin in the summer and implementation will start in the fall.
CHEOworks is based on “Lean” principles – a best practice
originally used in the manufacturing industry but more
recently adopted by leading health care organizations
around the world to help drive continuous improvement.
It will take us several years to roll out CHEOworks across
the hospital – both in clinical and administrative groups – but
we’re confident that by steadily implementing it phase-byphase, we will ultimately be able to provide our patients with
the exceptional patient experience they deserve.
A presentation of thanks
Every year the CHEO Foundation honours exceptional
community members, staff, patients and their families for their
outstanding dedication to CHEO. There are many people who
strive to make a difference in the lives of CHEO’s children and
youth and for that they are inducted into the Order of the Good
Bear. On January 23 the following individual and corporations
received a certificate of thanks: David Ellis, Daisy Tang, Betty
Rich, Tuan Nguyen, Jim and Nora Graham, Alyssa Closs,
Taylor Closs (posthumously), Ottawa Citizen, Bertillia Christian,
and Dale Dalgleish. For being true CHEO champions the
CHEO Foundation staff are extremely thankful.
7
Forever CHEO: Legacy gift to CHEO generates $4.1 million
As CHEO gets
ready to celebrate
its 40th anniversary
this year, it is
natural to reflect
back to the early
days of the hospital. It was a dream that was built on sheer
will and determination by a community that was committed
to providing the best health care for its children and youth.
During the late 1960’s and early 70’s, physicians, elected
officials, parents and the community at large joined forces to
establish a special and distinct hospital to serve the children
and youth of eastern Ontario and western Quebec. This
group raised $4 million from the community which was a
formidable sum for the times.
In 1980, when the Children’s Hospital of Eastern
Ontario (CHEO) was only just 11 years old, Weldon
Cochrane, an Ottawa chartered accountant and partner
with the accounting firm of Coopers and Lybrand (now
PriceWaterhouseCoopers) was also the Treasurer on the
CHEO Foundation Board. Mr. Cochrane had an appreciation
for the importance of leaving a legacy and understood how
to make an impact. With that in mind, he made a gift in
his Will to CHEO leaving the residual of his estate with
instructions for it to be endowed; meaning that the capital
would be preserved in perpetuity and the annual interest
would be used to fund the important work at CHEO. He was
predeceased by his wife, Adrienne Cochrane and his only
child, Delma Grace Cochrane.
When Mr. Cochrane died in 1985 the CHEO Foundation
received $540,000 from his estate. The Foundation
established the Weldon Cochrane Endowment Fund with his
gift as directed in his Will. Much has happened and changed
at CHEO in the nearly 30 years since Mr. Cochrane’s death,
and in that time his legacy gift has generated $4.1 million
in interest which has benefited generations of patients and
8
Many thanks to all those who have
volunteered, attended, donated, or
participated in any of our events. Your
devotion to our children’s health is greatly
appreciated. We look forward to seeing
you at our upcoming events.
Special thanks to Smiling Cat Inc.
(www.smilingcatinc.com),
whose
support of CHEO Foundation projects
throughout the year helps make this
beautiful newsletter possible.
families at CHEO. With those funds CHEO has been able
to purchase state of the art equipment, fund lifesaving
research while continuing to provide the best in pediatric
care for the children and youth of our community. His legacy
lives on at CHEO every day through the children and families
that benefit from his generous and forward thinking.
As CHEO marks this major milestone, we look back and
honor those in our community who made our local children’s
hospital a reality and donors like Mr. Cochrane who made
children a priority in their lives. Donors like him have helped
to ensure that CHEO will be here forever. Why not honour
what is most important to you during your lifetime by
considering a gift in Will to CHEO. Our children, youth and
families deserve to always have excellent health care, to
benefit from lifesaving research and be provided with the
support programs to live happy and healthy lives now and
forever.
If you are interested in finding out about how you can
leave a CHEO legacy, please contact Megan Doyle Ray at
megandoyle@cheofoundation.com or (613) 738-3694.
What is Forever CHEO?
Forever CHEO is a way to ensure that CHEO will always
be here to provide excellent care, life-saving research and
invaluable support to children and their families every day by
making a gift from your estate.
When you leave a gift in your Will to CHEO you have the
option of designating it to address immediate needs within
the Hospital, the Research Institute or the Forever CHEO
Endowment Fund. This fund will preserve the full amount of
your gift and disperse the interest to CHEO annually. Since
the fund will live on in perpetuity, so will your gift to future
generations of children at CHEO. This is a way to leave a
permanent and meaningful mark on your community.
Teddy Bear Times is a semi-annual
newsletter for donors, supporters and
friends, published by the Children’s Hospital
of Eastern Ontario Foundation. If you
have any questions or comments please
contact the CHEO Foundation or visit
www.cheofoundation.com.
Publications Mail Agreement
No. 40063574.
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Addresses to:
CHEO Foundation
415 Smyth Road
Ottawa, ON K1H 8M8
(613) 737-2780