Meet Lauren
Our 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Champion Child
Just shy of her fifth birthday, little Lauren was suddenly exhausted, and unusual bruises began popping up all over.
What her family thought would be just a checkup, turned into one of their worst moments…
Lauren had Leukemia.
The next 24 hours were a whirlwind. In one day, Lauren’s family packed up everything they could to rush to Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, uncertain of what lay ahead.
Lauren’s Dad felt as if their legs had been kicked out from under them. They couldn’t believe what was happening. All at once, their life turned into talks about treatment, needle pokes, IVs, and chemotherapy.
At first, all Lauren’s treatments seemed so scary – and it only took the smell of sanitizer for Lauren’s fear to set in.
But, thanks to the generosity of Children’s Health Foundation donors, Lauren had a whole team of health care experts to help her fears melt away.
Child Life Specialist Deborah gave Lauren a stress ball to squish, and coping techniques like balloon breathing to make it through needle pokes.
Paediatric Aide Mark distracted her during lumbar punctures by giving Lauren a steering wheel and racing all around the hospital.
As her team grew full of familiar faces, Lauren knew she had a whole group of people at Children’s to help her when treatments were hard, and to celebrate when the days were good.
Day after day, Lauren collected bravery beads, a record of each time she made it through a blood draw, another lumbar puncture, enjoyed laughing with Ollie the Therapeutic Clown and so much more.
Finally, after two years of active treatment, Lauren went home cancer-free – with a bravery bead necklace as tall as her!
Those beads are Lauren’s way of seeing everything she made it through.
Today, she shares them proudly, each bead helping remind her of all those important moments she shared with caring staff at Children’s. You’ll see her wear and display them even as she’s getting messy doing what she loves, like baking and acting!
As the 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Champion Child, Lauren will share her story at Children’s Miracle Network partner locations. Keep an eye out for her at Walmart and The Brick.
Our Children’s Miracle Network partners will be fundraising to help more children. Every gift at the till, from generous donors like you, helps fund life-saving equipment, education, research, and patient support programs that transform care for children like Lauren.
With Children’s Health Foundation and our Children’s Miracle Network partners, you can help transform our children’s care at Children’s Hospital.
Hope lives at Children’s, because of you.
Just shy of her fifth birthday, little Lauren was suddenly exhausted, and unusual bruises began popping up all over.
What her family thought would be just a checkup, turned into one of their worst moments…
Lauren had Leukemia.
The next 24 hours were a whirlwind. In one day, Lauren’s family packed up everything they could to rush to Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, uncertain of what lay ahead.
Lauren’s Dad felt as if their legs had been kicked out from under them. They couldn’t believe what was happening. All at once, their life turned into talks about treatment, needle pokes, IVs, and chemotherapy.
At first, all Lauren’s treatments seemed so scary – and it only took the smell of sanitizer for Lauren’s fear to set in.
But, thanks to the generosity of Children’s Health Foundation donors, Lauren had a whole team of health care experts to help her fears melt away.
Child Life Specialist Deborah gave Lauren a stress ball to squish, and coping techniques like balloon breathing to make it through needle pokes.
Paediatric Aide Mark distracted her during lumbar punctures by giving Lauren a steering wheel and racing all around the hospital.
As her team grew full of familiar faces, Lauren knew she had a whole group of people at Children’s to help her when treatments were hard, and to celebrate when the days were good.
Day after day, Lauren collected bravery beads, a record of each time she made it through a blood draw, another lumbar puncture, enjoyed laughing with Ollie the Therapeutic Clown and so much more.
Finally, after two years of active treatment, Lauren went home cancer-free – with a bravery bead necklace as tall as her!
Those beads are Lauren’s way of seeing everything she made it through.
Today, she shares them proudly, each bead helping remind her of all those important moments she shared with caring staff at Children’s. You’ll see her wear and display them even as she’s getting messy doing what she loves, like baking and acting!
As the 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Champion Child, Lauren will share her story at Children’s Miracle Network partner locations. Keep an eye out for her at Walmart and The Brick.
Our Children’s Miracle Network partners will be fundraising to help more children. Every gift at the till, from generous donors like you, helps fund life-saving equipment, education, research, and patient support programs that transform care for children like Lauren.
With Children’s Health Foundation and our Children’s Miracle Network partners, you can help transform our children’s care at Children’s Hospital.
Hope lives at Children’s, because of you.
