100 Million Thanks from a Grandmother
GUEST BLOG – Ryan Holt, Business Intelligence Intern, SickKids Foundation
It is hard to imagine your three-year old grandson in the hospital; it is harder still to imagine the loss of his brother just two years before. But such is the reality that intertwines The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Walmart Canada, and our SickKids hero – Jackie.
Jackie and her family call Belleville, Ontario home. Yet SickKids has felt like its own kind of home for the family these past three years. Dylan, Jackie`s grandson, recently turned three years of age. While most three-year-old birthdays involve hand-made invitations, pre-school friends, and a Superhero theme, Dylan’s involved fighting for his life on the operating table. “You never think it will be your kid or your grandkid,” Jackie says of Dylan’s fourth open-heart surgery. “Dylan was born with a congenital heart defect. The moment he was born he was rushed from the delivery room straight to SickKids.”
Dylan did not have the typical birthday of a three-year-old, but it was most definitely Superhero-themed. He pulled through the procedure with expert care from the SickKids Cardiovascular unit. Then, later in the evening, surrounded by Jackie and his parents, Dylan celebrated with birthday cake and triumph, courtesy of the SickKids Child Life team.
"I go above and beyond to work for SickKids. I set 100 donations a day as my goal."
In the cases of both Dylan and Austin, “Kingston, Belleville and Pickering Hospitals wanted them at SickKids. It is the best place we could be for the situation. It’s like a second home. I feel like moving in, they just make you feel so great. It’s like a big family.”
There are many working parts that help make SickKids an exceptional treatment centre for children world-wide -- one of those major parts is the support of Walmart Canada. Walmart recently became the first Children’s Miracle Network corporate partner to reach the $100 million fundraising milestone, $20 million of which went directly to SickKids.
As fate would have it, Jackie has been an employee of Walmart Canada for ten years and has been an exceptionally dedicated fundraiser for the SickKids cause. “I’m so proud of Walmart. I can’t wait for the Children’s Miracle Network campaign to begin each year. I go above and beyond to work for SickKids. I set 100 donations a day as my goal -- I just want to help out so much with everything SickKids.”
Jackie’s motivation is clear: she does it all for the kids, “because those little one’s just deserve it. You never know when you’ll need SickKids in your time of need.”
Jackie and her family are expecting Dylan to be released in a few weeks’ time. Despite the two-hour drive to Belleville, Jackie takes comfort in knowing that “SickKids will always be there for Dylan, they will always be there for the family.”
Sitting on the piano bench opposite Marnie’s Lounge, Jackie watches the children running up to test the ivory keys. “You know what’s most amazing. These children are going through so much, even still, nothing but smiles.”
It is people like Jackie and corporate supporters like Walmart Canada that help SickKids provide the care and comfort to create thousands of little smiles each year. On behalf of everyone at SickKids, we would like to express thanks to Jackie for her story and support, and recognize Walmart Canada for their commitment in advancing research, education, equipment, and family-centered care programs at SickKids. We encourage you to visit a Walmart location in your community and say thanks for helping make a difference in children’s health. If it happens to be the Walmart in Belleville, don’t forget to drop in and say hello to our community hero, Jackie.
