SickKids Foundation

Congratulations to former SickKids patient turned Olympic champion, Abby Dent!   The Canadian women's eight rowing team member captured silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics.   Abby, now 22, spent a lot of time at SickKids when she was younger to undergo screenings for Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) - a genetic disorder in which blood vessels don't develop normally, leading to bleeding that can be serious or life threatening.   While Abby never needed treatment for the disorder, she came to the hospital every 2.5 years for regular screenings - from MRIs to CT scans and bubble echoes.   A rower since high school, Abby has competed locally, nationally, internationally - and now at the highest level: the Olympics.   Thank you, Abby, for inspiring SickKids patients!

Four-year-old Henry met the behind-the-scenes team that helped diagnose his ultra-rare condition.     In early 2021, at 9 months old, Henry was diagnosed with Myhre Syndrome, a rare multi-systemic condition caused by a random gene variant. He is one of six in Canada with Myhre Syndrome, and one of around 200 in the entire world.   Thanks to the dedication, care and expertise of the Genome Diagnostics Laboratory, part of the Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Henry was able to receive genetic testing that ultimately led to his diagnosis.   While Henry’s journey has had many ups and downs, Henry’s mom Alana recently spoke to the staff at SickKids saying, “He’s thriving right now. You did this, you’re a part of this story. Each and every one of you. That’s Precision Child Health.”    Thanks for dropping by, Henry!

SickKids is home to many legacies, some passed on and many made within its walls. This legacy story starts in 1997 with the family of Dr. Wilfred Chung. His youngest son received life-saving congenital heart surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children performed by the esteemed Dr. William (Bill) Williams. Nearly 20 years later, the Chung family made a significant gift (https://bit.ly/3T1dj4P), matched by the Labatt Family Heart Centre, to establish the Dr. William G. Williams Research Directorship in Cardiac Data Analytics, creating AI-focused innovations like the Risk Estimation of Deterioration (RED) tool and RiskFix, which could prove to be legacies in their own right. Today, as the Williams Directorship enters a new era with the appointment of Dr. Cedric Manhliot, that gift, together with the work and vision of the now-retired Dr. Williams, will continue to have long-lasting impacts in medical data analytics. Dr. Manlhiot has long been a rising star in the field of medical data analytics. His new appointments include: Scientist in the Translational Medicine Program in the SickKids Research Institute; the Ted Rogers Centre Innovator in Cardiovascular Precision Medicine and the Dr. William G. Williams Research Directorship in Cardiac Data Analytics for the Labatt Family Heart Centre. Congratulations to Dr. Chung, Dr. Williams and Dr. Manhliot on your legacies and exciting work to come.

A PSA for job seekers regarding fraudulent activity:   SickKids Foundation is committed to providing a secure and authentic job search experience. However, we recognize that scams occasionally target job seekers to lure them into sending money or providing personal and/or financial information.    Identifying and Avoiding Fraudulent Job Offers:    1. SickKids Foundation will never request money, gift cards, donations, or personal financial information from applicants.   2. Be cautious of unsolicited or unexpected communications. Job postings use links associated with our official organizational domain (www.sickkidsfoundation.com), and emails will never come from generic email accounts such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo.    3. SickKids Foundation also posts available positions on LinkedIn which always refers applicants to our official organizational domain to review the full job posting. A list of recently posted jobs can be viewed on the Jobs tab here on our LinkedIn profile.   4. SickKids Foundation will not ask for a candidate’s Social Insurance Numbers and financial information until a formal job offer has been extended, reviewed, and accepted. It is not our practice to ask for personal documentation such as a passport and driver’s license.   5. The interview process is conducted through professional channels only such as Microsoft Teams. SickKids Foundation does not use text messages or informal platforms for interviews such as WhatsApp or Skype.   6. SickKids Foundation will never ask a candidate to send money for a job offer.   Reporting Suspicious Activity:   If you encounter any suspicious activity or suspect a fraudulent job posting, please report it immediately to reception.mailbox@sickkidsfoundation.com.   We appreciate your interest in joining our SickKids Foundation team and ask that you remain on alert for questionable activity.

Let this be your sign to never let anything hold you back!     Ed Marshall, a 100-year-old World War II Paratrooper took to the skies this weekend and raised over $100K for The Hospital for Sick Children while doing it.     It's been 80 years since his last jump as a paratrooper in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, but in tandem with fellow Canadian Armed Forces veteran Adam Winnicki, it's like he'd never left.      In honour of his 100th birthday, Ed set himself a goal to raise $100K in support of SickKids - a goal he's now exceeded.     "Kids are our future so we have to look after them." - Ed Marshall     We agree Ed. Thank you for your generous support. 💙 

It’s Grad time! 🎓 For most kids that means school. But for some, it means graduating from The Hospital for Sick Children too. Juliet has a special message for her fellow SickKids grads.

When 17-year-old Maddy was told she might be unable to graduate high school on time due to her numerous hospital admissions, she responded, "Oh yeah, watch me." Maddy spent much of Grades 11 and 12 at SickKids, being treated for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Even with severe pain, GI issues, and reduced mobility, she never gave up. From her hospital bed, she continued to study and even wrote an exam while simultaneously preparing for surgery. Despite having to miss her last day of school due to an unexpected hospital admission, last week Maddy attended her high school prom and not only graduated on time but with honours. Graduating high school is a huge achievement for anyone, but for Maddy, it’s a true testament to her strength. In the Fall, Maddy will be heading to university to study science and pursue a career in medicine, to help others facing similar challenges. At school, she will also continue to pursue her passion for dance. Join us in congratulating Maddy and the 2024 graduating class! 🎓 🌟

Please join us in welcoming Piyush Bhatnagar and Desmond D'Silva, our newest volunteer Board members. Both joined our Board in June 2024 and bring a wealth of experience, insights, and knowledge as we prepare to embark on our next fundraising campaign. Piyush is a Senior Managing Director with Accenture and is the Canadian Corporate Citizenship Lead. With a focus on large-scale business and IT transformations within the financial services industry, Piyush's expertise will be invaluable to our business. Desmond is the Founder and CEO of Integricon, a company specializing in Property Restoration and Construction services. Desmond's strong leadership in strategy, governance, and oversight has earned Integricon national recognition, including the Canada’s Best Managed Companies award in 2024. We are grateful for their volunteer commitment and look forward to their contributions as we continue the Heal the Future campaign. Welcome, Piyush and Desmond!

SickKids staff brought their #CaringWithPride spirit to #PrideToronto this past weekend! ✨ 🌈   Participating in the Trans March, Family Pride and Pride Parade — we especially enjoyed running the Care for Your Stuffy clinic at the SickKids Family Pride booth!   #PrideMonth2024 #PrideTO #SickKidsEDI

We are pleased to introduce Walied Soliman, KC as our new Board Chair.  Walied joined the SickKids Foundation Board in 2012 and has served as Vice Chair since 2019. In his new role as Chair, Walied is also appointed to the Board of Trustees at The Hospital for Sick Children.    Walied is the Chair of Norton Rose Fulbright. Widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading corporate lawyers, Walied brings a wealth of experience to our organization that is invaluable for our future ambitions.   As a proud father, Walied has a strong affinity for SickKids and the families we serve. We look forward to his continued valuable contributions and are proud to welcome him to this leadership role. We would also like to acknowledge our outgoing Board Chair, Sonia Baxendale, who has served as Chair since June 2020, guiding us through a period of transformation. Sonia has been a dedicated volunteer leader on our Board for 17 years, leaving a strong legacy as a SickKids champion. Her leadership saw us through the final chapter of the SickKids VS: Limits Campaign, where more than 1.3 million donors raised $1.7 billion to build a new SickKids. She rallied corporate leaders and community philanthropists to our cause, and we are deeply grateful for her incredible generosity and ongoing support.   Please join us in thanking Sonia for her many years of service and congratulating Walied!