This past week I had the opportunity to participate in the annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Celebration at Walt Disney World in Orlando. This Celebration brings together the North American Hospitals that participate in CMN and corporate sponsors that support CMN. A key focus for the Celebration is the CMN Champions program, which honours remarkable children from the United States and Canada who have triumphed despite severe medical challenges.  For their courage and perseverance, these children and their families are selected as international ambassadors on behalf of the 17 million children who are treated each year at children’s hospitals supported by CMN fundraising.

Our SickKids champion is 13-year-old Madison, who many will know as one of our SickKids Patient Ambassadors. In 2007, Madison was starring in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Stratford Festival when she started to complain of exhaustion and back pain. SickKids diagnosed her condition as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer. Madison has received extensive treatment at SickKids and completed her last cancer treatment in January 2010. She continues to visit SickKids monthly for check-ups and continues to pursue her love for acting. When I saw Madison this weekend she had her hair fully braided and beaded. She looked lovely. Her mother Peggy Jo told me that the hair braiding was of special significance for Madison as the last time she visited Disney World she had no hair due to her chemotherapy treatments and thus could not get the braiding done.

These meetings also allowed our CMN fundraising staff here at SickKids Foundation to meet with corporate sponsors such as Walmart Canada, TD Bank Financial Group, Dairy Queen, Foresters and others to plan strategies that will continue to raise the fundraising bar.  I also had an opportunity to meet with the sponsor leaders and was deeply impressed with their commitment to advancing child health.  

There were also some star sightings at the Celebration, and I am not talking about Mickey or Minnie. John Schneider, the former star of Dukes of Hazzard was very visible. John was one of the co-founders of CMN together with Marie Osmond. Speaking of an Oz, we got to meet Dr. Oz, who was a keynote speaker. Our Canadian contingent was able to gang up on him for a group picture! We also met Dr. Travis Stork, one of the hosts of TV’s “The Doctors”, who emceed the final gala dinner. Entertainment at the dinner included Aaron Carter, a teen heart throb, at least so I am told.

SickKids is the single largest beneficiary of CMN fundraising, not just in Canada, but also in North America. This is a tribute to the strong relationships we have built with CMN, with CMN participating sponsors, and because of our dedicated and committed CMN staff here at SickKids Foundation. My thanks go out to all of them.