Nick is a sociable, charismatic teenager eager to finish his last semester of high school next month. He is very focused on his academics and is preparing to start university in September.

This time last year, he was among one in four young people in Canada battling obesity. He struggled to cope with the physical demands of attending school each day. Simple tasks like walking up the stairs to his next class were a challenge and visiting an amusement park on the weekend with friends was a far off dream.  

“Being heavy caused me anxiety, so eating was a way for me to cope,” said Nick.

By 15 years old, Nick’s weight spiked to 340 pounds. He enrolled in a weight loss program at his local hospital, but he still wasn’t achieving the weight loss he desired. In the fall of 2010, his mother came across a magazine article about the SickKids Team Obesity Management Program (STOMP) and together they decided it might be a better option.

A month later, in December 2010, Nick attended STOMP orientation at SickKids. He spent the next few months meeting regularly with a group of other overweight teens and medical advisors. They discussed a wide spectrum of topics linked to making healthy choices and overall health.

"Meeting with other kids was extremely helpful. Everyone had good ideas and it really helped improve our self-esteem and communication skills."

At the same time, Nick was assessed for surgical options. Gastric bypass surgery was recommended, and the surgery was performed in August 2011. Since then, Nick hasn’t looked back. He has lost 120 pounds since starting the program and is now 220 pounds. 

“I’m less self-conscious about my body and I am much more energetic and spontaneous.”

Nick looks forward to the possibility of being more active this summer – and even being able to try the rides at Canada’s Wonderland for the first time. He also hopes to start school in the fall enrolled in a nursing program. His goal is to one day work at SickKids.

“SickKids is a beacon of hope. It gave me something to believe in and I would love to give kids the opportunities I’ve had.”

Achieving a healthy weight begins with a healthy start. To learn more about healthy weights, visit dothehappy.com to register for a special interactive education event on May 23 featuring SickKids doctors and researchers.

Keira, six, may not have perfected her ABCs yet, but she has a better medical vocabulary than most adults. She can explain a stoma, a scope and list a number of prescriptions and their purpose. To Keira, medical terms are part of her everyday language and visiting The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is part of her life.

Keira has “stumped doctors since the day she was born,” according to her mother, Christie. Keira’s complicated condition made it difficult to find an effective treatment plan and a long-term solution to her medical needs.

At a few weeks old, Keira was diagnosed with neuronal dysplasia type B with motility challenges – a serious intestinal disorder. The disorder has made it difficult at times for her to digest food on her own. At one day old, she had surgery to remove a section of her bowel. She has since endured multiple invasive procedures, including surgery at the age of three to create an ileostomy, which allows waste to bypass her non-functioning intestines.

Despite visiting the hospital many times at a young age, Keira is content and full of energy. Even at SickKids, she insists on participating in every craft session and opportunity to play. She loves attending “Tails”, the play performed every Thursday night in the Bear Theatre, with her IV pole in tow. She can recite the play beginning to end and does not hesitate to sing and dance along.

Thanks to SickKids, Keira is now the healthiest she’s ever been, though she will continue to rely on medication to manage her condition. She was able to return home from an admission this February and was reunited with family and friends.