SickKids staff honoured by families
It’s often said that it is the people that make a house a home. For seven-year-old Kael and six-month-old Charlize and their families, SickKids is their home away from home. And with their second home they have a second family, too.On September 11, 2014, Kael Morrison marked his 300th day living in the hospital. He was admitted in November 2013 for a bone marrow transplant and has stayed ever since. His recovery process is more complicated than most because of his rare immune-deficiency disorder. Kael is one of very few recorded patients in the world with stat 1 mutation. He was diagnosed at five-years-old at SickKids and has become very familiar with SickKids and the hardworking staff.
One of Kael’s favourite past times is playing dress up. In fact, he loves it so much he has designated dress up days at SickKids. To date, he has arranged a jersey day, superhero day, Halloween day, a pajama party and the list goes on. His favourite nurses on 8B from the Bone Marrow Transplant/Immunology Ward never fail to join in the fun.
Kael’s nurse team brings incredible energy and support to the Morrison family. Every hundredth day Kael spends in the hospital, they have arranged a celebration for him. On his 100th day they wrote a few songs for him, which they sang at his bedside to the tune of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell. On his 200th day the team presented him with a book of messages reading ‘Kael is special because…’ No matter what day it is, Kael’s nurses are there for the good ones and there for the hard ones too – that’s what family is for!
SickKids: Kael hasn't lost heart
Mom, Karen, spent five months at SickKids facing a difficult transition. Moving from Sault Ste Marie to Toronto, she had no family or friends to lean on for support while her newborn was fighting for her life. She was far from her husband who had to work and could only come visit on the weekends. Dr. Fraser Golding came to her rescue.
The Morrison’s and Lefave’s nominated their SickKids staff for a Humanitarian Award.
“During Karen’s pregnancy it became clear that her condition was more complicated than it appeared initially. Charlize was born prematurely which added significant risks to her survival. She had a long course in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and along with the amazing team there, I followed Charlize as her cardiologist. There were frequent ups and downs and many times we would have to change management plans more than once in a single day. I am not certain if I have had to say the words 'cautiously optimistic' to a single family so many times before,” said Dr. Golding.
After two open heart surgeries and a successful recovery, Karen said goodbye to Dr. Golding in October when she finally brought Charlize and her twin sister home for the first time.
To recognize their second family in their home away from home, the Morrison’s and Lefave’s nominated their SickKids staff for a Humanitarian Award. The nurses on 8B and Dr. Golding accepted their awards at the twenty-fourth annual Humanitarian Awards ceremony on November 19.
This special occasion aims to recognize SickKids staff for providing the best-in-class patient experience. These individuals exemplify qualities of humanitarianism. They bring incredible compassion, comfort and support to families.
“During Karen’s pregnancy it became clear that her condition was more complicated than it appeared initially. Charlize was born prematurely which added significant risks to her survival. She had a long course in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and along with the amazing team there, I followed Charlize as her cardiologist. There were frequent ups and downs and many times we would have to change management plans more than once in a single day. I am not certain if I have had to say the words 'cautiously optimistic' to a single family so many times before,” said Dr. Golding.
After two open heart surgeries and a successful recovery, Karen said goodbye to Dr. Golding in October when she finally brought Charlize and her twin sister home for the first time.
To recognize their second family in their home away from home, the Morrison’s and Lefave’s nominated their SickKids staff for a Humanitarian Award. The nurses on 8B and Dr. Golding accepted their awards at the twenty-fourth annual Humanitarian Awards ceremony on November 19.
This special occasion aims to recognize SickKids staff for providing the best-in-class patient experience. These individuals exemplify qualities of humanitarianism. They bring incredible compassion, comfort and support to families.
“It is a great honour to receive the 2014 Family Centred Care Award. As part of Kael’s Core Nursing Team, we have had the privilege of working with the most inspiring 6, now 7, year old. Kael brings out the best in each of us, not only as a nurse, but as a person in general. He not only inspires us with our thinking, but with our hearts as well. Kael ignites the desire to not only make us better nurses, but to make us stronger, more caring, more loving and more courageous nurses. This in turn, cascades throughout the entire nursing team to the Blood and Marrow Multidisciplinary Transplant Team and ultimately to the rest of the patients and their families on the unit as well.”
- Lee-Anne Pires, General Duty RN, 8B Ward - Bone Marrow Transplant
“Striving to achieve excellence in care is something that I learned from working with all the dedicated people at SickKids and it is a tremendous honour to receive the Robert Salter Humanitarian Award. It is undoubtedly the highlight of my career.”
- Dr. Fraser Golding, Staff Cardiologist, Operational Director, Echocardiography
