In the last 100 years, so many ideas, breakthroughs and milestones have occurred here at Children’s Hospital that have led to more improved treatments.
Leading-edge equipment, enhanced spaces for care and recovery, care-enhancing programs and groundbreaking paediatric research are improving the lives of children not just here at home, but around the world. Your support of Children’s Hospital makes a difference for kids every single day.
Milestone for Diabetes
Frederick Banting was a doctor in London, Ontario when he developed the idea for treating diabetes by stopping the flow of digestive juices out of the pancreas.
This idea led, of course, to the development of insulin at the University of Toronto. And it’s changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world since then.
That was 100 years ago. Children’s Hospital was established in the same year.
Evie first came to Children’s Hospital when she was only 12 months old. She was participating in a research study following the health of children who had a relative with Type 1 diabetes — like Evie’s dad.
By age 3, Evie herself was diagnosed with diabetes. It was a lot for a child to take in, and to adjust to.
That’s also when Evie and her parents met Erika, their Child Life Specialist at Children’s Hospital. Over the years, Erika has become part of the family, providing laughter, guidance and distractions during her treatments.
In addition to tracking and treating her diabetes, Children’s Hospital has been there through many childhood mishaps, like broken bones and a concussion.
The team has also helped her manage other issues, like celiac disease and anxiety.
Evie’s mom, Kendra, says she was amazed to discover that London had such a world-class, comprehensive hospital, with all the services they needed to support their daughter right here in their hometown.
Today, Evie is an accomplished cheerleader. And here at the hospital she has her own set of cheerleaders — the teams that have been supporting her since she
was a toddler. And we know that supporters like you are right there cheering from the sidelines, too!
With the unfailing support of donors like you, Children’s Hospital has been helping children with diabetes for more than 100 years – with treatment and with research. With you behind us, we know that there are many more great ideas to come from the incredible teams here — ones that, like insulin, will help children around the world.
New NICU transforms care for newborn babies
In 2010, the doors opened to the new North Tower of our hospital. It ushered in a new era of high-quality care for women, babies and children.
On June 11 of the next year, newborn baby Zoë, became the first neonatal infant to be transferred here from St. Joseph’s Hospital — thanks to our highly specialized paediatric transport team.
Little Zoë was born at 29 weeks, weighing just over 1 lb.
In the first weeks and months of her life, this tiny baby underwent three surgeries, spending months in an incubator and on a ventilator.
Since then, she has been supported by Children’s Hospital’s physical, occupational and speech therapists. As well as physiotherapy at TVCC to help her reach her milestones.
Today, Zoë is eleven years old — a happy and independent little girl.
In her mother, Paula’s, words …
“Zoë wouldn’t be with us today without the NICU and Children’s Hospital. They are such caring people … professionally and personally … they became our second family. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful hospital in this city.”
Donors like you are funding more than 90% of the equipment that newborn babies like Zoë rely on.
Providing World-Class Care at Children’s
Sarah Marshall is in the Guinness Book of World Records!
That’s because when she was nearly six months old she became the youngest patient in the world to receive a Liver-Bowel-Stomach- Pancreas transplant.
And it was here at Children’s Hospital — because the Toronto hospitals couldn’t help her.
Sarah’s transplant surgery lasted nine-and-a-half hours. And she spent five months straight at Children’s Hospital in recovery, while her tiny body was accepting the new organs.
Sarah is an adult now, but throughout her childhood — even when her check-ups could have been done in Toronto — her family brought her
back to Children’s. Her parents said it was because Children’s Hospital “had become like a family” and they knew that their daughter would receive the very best care here.
Thank you for 100 years of caring!
These stories all have something special in common — the dedication of medical teams and researchers — and the generosity and compassion of our community.
It is because of donors like you that Children’s Hospital and the incredible teams here have been able to perform complex surgeries like Sarah’s and many other life-saving and life-changing procedures.
You help provide the equipment and the spaces needed to care for kids with complex and simple needs. And every family knows in their heart that it is this “village” of supporters that helped save their child.
To continue supporting the best possible care for our kids today, and into the next 100 years, please consider a generous donation to Children’s Health Foundation.
