When I see the question “What would happen if there wasn’t a tertiary (specialized) care facility for children, youth and women in this region?”, I feel the need to tell our IWK story.  Fortunately we had a successful outcome but without the IWK so close, our lives might be very different than they are today…..

Our first son, Reichen, was born on April 15^th2007 in the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, PEI.  He was born with a “hole” in his back; it looked like a belly button.

Photo showing hole in baby Reichen's back.

We saw numerous doctors in Summerside but none of them knew exactly what it was, or if it was serious, UNTIL we saw Dr. Wong, a Pediatrician in Summerside.  He knew right away that it was something that required immediate attention.  He took pictures of Reichen’s back and emailed them to the neurology department at the IWK.  Dr. Dan McNeely responded to the email and we were sent to the IWK for an MRI the next week, Reichen was 7 weeks old for our first trip to the IWK.  The MRI was in the morning and we had an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon at 1pm to discuss the results.

Dr. Dan McNeely, is one of the pediatric neurosurgeons at the IWK.  He told us that Reichen had Spina Bifida Occulta and Tethered Cord Syndrome.  Reichen’s hole was open all the way into his spinal column so he was had a major risk for meningitis and other infections.  Tethered Cord Syndrome was something they would NOT have seen without the MRI, but is quite common in children with Spina Bifida Occulta.  It meant that his spinal cord was attached (tethered) to his spine.

The risk was that as Reichen grew the spinal cord would stretch and worst case scenario, break causing paralysis from the waist down.  We were terrified but Dr. McNeely and his nurse Coleen were so supportive and understanding.  Dr. McNeely pulled out his blackberry and said “We need to schedule surgery as soon as possible; I am available June 22^nd or July 6^th.”  It was amazing, there was no waiting for phone calls or letters, and we scheduled Reichen’s surgery right there for June 22^nd.

We were able to wait on PEI until the surgery date.  Dr. McNeely preformed Reichen surgery on June 22^nd, Reichen was 9 weeks old.  The absolute hardest thing I have ever done was hand over my 9 week old baby to the surgeons, but they took such great care of him.  They were able to “un”tether his spinal cord and close the hole into his spinal column.  The surgery took about 3 hours.

Reichen was a trooper, he had to lay flat on his back in his bed for the first 48 hrs (very challenging for breastfeeding!) and needed pain medication but was a pretty happy little baby!

We were able to come home 4 days later, amazing! We returned in August for a check up and Reichen passed with flying colors.

Reichen (left) and his brother, Quinn

Every year we attend the spine bifida clinic at the IWK,  where Reichen has an ultrasound and appointments with specialists who check to make sure everything is working properly.  At our appointment in 2010, they were so pleased with his progress that we got to skip a year!!

Reichen is doing extremely well; he can do everything a normal 4yr old can do.  He is also fully potty trained!!  Bowel and bladder function were a concern in the beginning but he is doing just great!

We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful facility so close.

Here is one from Stephanie.

Thank you for sharing!

Jennifer has had the opportunity to build a strong affiliation with the IWK Foundation; she worked for the Foundation 15 years ago, and she has volunteered in various capacities over the years including as a past member of the IWK Foundation Board of Trustees.

For the past several years Jennifer worked with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation initially as the first partnership executive, and for the past several years as Director of Partnerships, Communications, Marketing and Brand for the CBC across Canada.

The official release can be viewed on the IWK Foundation web site.

We are happy to welcome Jennifer into our IWK Foundation family.

Here is one from Norm, Paulette, Amy & Lisa.

Thank you for sharing!

As the New Year is upon us, I would like to reflect on this past year and highlight some of the accomplishments, challenges and fun we have had.

Anne McGuire, President & CEO, IWK Health Centre, Robert Richardson, Board Chair, IWK Board of Directors and Kevin McNamara, Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness.

To begin, this past year saw many accomplishments for the IWK Health Centre. As an organization, the IWK relies heavily on our donors and to that point, we received a generous donation both from the Sidney Crosby Foundation (through the IWK Foundation) and the IWK Auxiliary which funded the renovation and expansion of the IWK Teen Lounge. The renovated lounge has an additional 250 square feet, which allows more patients and visitors. Additionally, it is more accessible for patients in wheelchairs and hospital beds. Updating the teen lounge has been a dream for patients, families and staff at the IWK for several years – so the renovation this spring was much anticipated.

In May 2011, the IWK received a visit from an Accreditation Canada Survey team and the Health Centre received a 97 per cent compliance rate. While this is something we are extremely proud of, the IWK continually works to improve our services and ensure the safety of all our patients. Thanks to a committed team, we received 315 new Smart Pumps in ambulatory care and inpatient areas throughout the Health Centre in June. These new Smart Pumps complement the 142 Smart Pumps previously purchased through the support of the IWK Foundation.

I must mention that this past year has been a challenging one for staff, budgets, and our organization as a whole. In efforts to seek new cost saving measures for the Health Centre, an initiative known as Program Budgeting Marginal Analysis (PBMA) was launched. This project supports a framework that will help the IWK make complex resource allocation decisions that maximize the value of each dollar spent in the delivery of patient care.

In addition to our business initiatives, we have also had some fun this year. It was certainly the year of the floats! As an organization, we created two parade floats; PrideHealth, a partnership between IWK Primary Health and Capital Health Primary Health, created a float in the spring for the Pride Parade, and a float was created for the 16^th Annual Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights by IWK Public Relations Department in partnership with the IWK Foundation. I rode along with IWK employees, friends and families on both floats. It was great for the community to see us out there, and I had a wonderful time.

Also, as part of our Diversity & Inclusion Strategy here at the IWK, we are working to include artwork throughout the Health Centre that better reflects the diverse populations we serve. In order to do this, a call to the community was put out, and I am happy to report that we received an overwhelming response and now, there are photos featuring diverse families from our community throughout the Health Centre as well.

I would like to wish you all the best this year. The IWK is known as a centre for excellence throughout the Maritimes, and across Canada. As we move into 2012, we know that we will have new accomplishments to celebrate, new challenges to experience and some more fun to be had!

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year.

Paul Conrod, Chair, Board of Trustees

As we gather with friends and family for holiday celebrations, it is comforting to know we live in a community of heroes. These are our doctors, surgeons, researchers, and caregivers who go above and beyond the call of duty.  From my experience with the IWK Foundation Board, patients and families benefit greatly from these special people who exemplify the spirit of the holiday season through their everyday actions.

Add to this list of heroes, the generous donors who continually show the Maritime way with strong charitable giving that funds so many wonderful causes. Many of these gifts are made anonymously without much attention or fanfare. We live in a generous and special part of the world. Thank you to everyone for making a difference this holiday season and year round.

To quote Michael Enright;  ”We can’t all be heroes. Some of us must sit on the curb and clap as they go by. ”

For most children, Christmas is the best time of the year – they write letters to Santa, make decorations, watch holiday movies and wrap up special gifts for family and friends.

Chantal LeBlanc

At the IWK, some patients won’t be able to enjoy their favourite holiday activities at home this year. However, the IWK’s Child Life team is working hard to bring the Christmas spirit to them inside the Health Centre. The goal is to let children be children – and not just patients.

The holidays can be a particularly stressful time for families at the IWK, especially if they are separated from loved ones. Our goal is to make a family’s hospital experience the best that it can be any time of year, but especially during important family celebration times.

During the month of December, Child Life organizes Christmas and Hanukkah parties, crafts, carolling, tree decorating, letters to Santa and more. These important activities help bring a sense of normalcy to patients and families as they prepare for and celebrate the holidays – no matter what their beliefs or family traditions.

Child Life is an essential part of the integrated care teams at the IWK year round. While doctors and nurses have stethoscopes and other equipment to do their jobs, child life specialists use play and self-expression as their tools to help children and youth cope with the potential stress or trauma caused by events like the diagnosis of an illness, an injury, the treatment process and hospitalization.

We use dolls to help a child simulate and understand procedures that they or their sibling will experience, like getting an intravenous. We use different strategies like distraction toys and iPad games to help patients focus on something positive, instead of what is happening during medical procedures, which reduces their anxiety level.

The Child Life team – comprised of child life specialists, child life workers and a therapeutic clown named Buddington – also offer daily programming in several Activity Areas on inpatient floors including a Teen Lounge for youth ages 12 and up. These spaces are medical free zones that give patients a break from the realities of being hospitalized, allowing them the freedom to play, learn and just be kids. The Child Life team can also bring programming to inpatients that are not able to leave their rooms for medical reasons.

We get to see into a tiny window of the lives of Maritime families, but to help make that time a little bit easier for them is very humbling. This time of year especially, it helps us to value the real spirit of the holiday season, which is to share and to give.

The Child Life program is a special service at the IWK Health Centre that is supported, in part, by the IWK Foundation, the IWK Auxiliary and other members of the community.

Inside Your IWK is a joint project by the IWK Health Centre and IWK Foundation. To view some of the interview with Chantal LeBlanc, please visit www.Youtube.com/user/IWKHealthCentre.

In my role on the Marketing & Communications team I have the privilege of getting to know patients and families who help us inspire giving throughout the Maritimes.   Families voluntarily share their stories as a way to give back and to provide hope and healing to other families who may be dealing with similar issues.

The stories we hear make us laugh and cry. Here at the Foundation, these stories drive us to succeed.  When you are face to face with a parent who tells you her daughter’s life was saved at the IWK, you make a quiet, personal commitment to do your part to ensure donors understand just how integral a resource the IWK is to all Maritime families.  To fully understand the IWK’s impact, one merely needs to ask the question: what would happen if there wasn’t a tertiary (specialized) care facility for children, youth and women in this region?

But back to stories.  We need more of them!  We are always looking for patient stories for IWK Radiothons in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island; for the IWK Telethon for Children on CTV; for various newsletters, public events and our Report to Donors, just to name a few.

If you’d like to share your IWK story and give our donors a reason to keep giving to the IWK, contact us at foundationmail@iwk.nshealth.ca using the subject line “My IWK Story”.   Tell us about your IWK experience in 500 words or less and please provide your day-time phone number so we can reach you.

Thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidays from everyone here at the IWK Foundation.

IWK social worker Heather Prosser talks with a family in her office at the IWK.

Every day, social workers at the IWK have the opportunity to work with patients and their families during some of their most difficult times.

As social workers we support families and assist them in finding the necessary resources to enable them to cope with the overwhelming stressors associated with having an ill child. The financial burden of having to make frequent visits to the hospital for on-going care puts a huge strain on young families.

It is through generous donations from individual donors and corporate citizens who care about IWK patients and families, that provide some relief to these struggling families. It is in this spirit, that we would like to take an opportunity to recognize and thank Irving Oil for their Fuel the Care Program. Thanks to this program, every year for the past 10 years, $50,000 worth of Irving Oil gas cards have been distributed to families in need who receive care at the IWK.

Every year around Telethon time, Irving Oil makes their donation of fuel cards. The cards are distributed by IWK social workers, like us, to families in the most need of assistance. From there, families use them to fill up on gas at reduced costs, to make their travel between home and the IWK that much easier. The cards are well-used and they make a big difference.

For thousands of families, having assistance with their fuel costs has given them one less thing to worry about at a time when the worry over the health of their child is overwhelming enough.

Irving Oil, you are a wonderful partner. The fact that you created this program is a testament to your sincere regard for Maritime families. Thank you just does not seem enough after 10 years of generosity and support. On behalf of the many patients, moms, dads, grandparents and more who have received your help, thank you, thank you, thank you.