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Our Kids - Meet Brooke
Brooke, 4, Lung Abscess
Last September, four-year-old Brooke attended her first junior kindergarten class. She also began fundraising for SickKids Foundation. Her motivation stemmed from her own experience at SickKids two years prior.
In 2008, Brooke was airlifted to SickKids from her local hospital in northern Ontario after an abscess found growing inside her lung began to worsen. The abscess was believed to have been caused by an almond shell stuck in her airway.
During her more than two weeks at SickKids, she was seen by a number of specialists across the Hospital, including experts in ears, nose and throat, infectious disease and general paediatrics. She underwent a bronchoscopy, a procedure in which a long tube with a camera was inserted into her airway, to drain the abscess and survey the surrounding tissue for further damage. It was a particularly extraordinary time for her family because while staying at SickKids, Brooke celebrated her second birthday – with balloons, a birthday cake and presents from the nursing staff.
After her discharge, Brooke returned to the Hospital for surgery to remove damaged tissue which was partially blocking her airway, but since then, she has been healthy enough to follow up with her paediatrician at home.
She has so far raised $1,800 through pledges to donate her hair to children who are in need and hopes to continue her fundraising efforts so there will be more to come!
Children who raise funds for SickKids can participate in the Kids Believe in SickKids Program. The program provides special support to young fundraisers.
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