When a child’s life hangs in the balance, there is no room for trial and error. That is why the Michael Gunning Simulation Centre is so important. It gives new and seasoned frontline teams a realistic, high-stakes environment where they can sharpen skills, strengthen teamwork and prepare for critical situations before they happen in real life.

There is no time to pause. But for many hospitals across Southwestern Ontario, the most serious Paediatric emergencies are also the ones teams see least often. That is what makes preparation so important.

Most shifts move between the ordinary and the urgent without warning. One room may hold a child who will be discharged within the hour. Another may hold a life-or-limb emergency requiring multiple teams and immediate action.

That pace, and that unpredictability, is part of what defines the job.

In 2011, Roger’s young son, Hunter, experienced a severe E. coli infection and was rushed to Children’s Hospital in London. What followed were two months no parent ever forgets.