Donor Stories – Joan Foster: Symbolic Giving
Last November, when my daughter Kimberley turned 50, I decided to make a donation in our names to SickKids Foundation by giving a SickKids Get Better Gift. I searched through the online symbolic giving catalogue and chose a Safe Ride Home – so another mother would know the joy of bringing home her precious baby from the hospital, as I did many years ago.
Kim was a large baby. She had a rough trip coming into this world and arrived with her head a bit misshapen. I was told it was not a serious condition and it would correct itself within a few days. In the meantime, I giggled at her scrunched up face and her mass of straight black hair.
“I searched through the symbolic giving catalogue and chose a Safe Ride Home.”
But the next day, doctors told me my baby was going to be transferred to The Hospital for Sick Children. There was a problem with her blood. I was devastated and cried in my mother's arms. Kim required many blood transfusions and special care from SickKids experts. Finally, after two weeks, she was discharged and I got to hold my precious daughter bundled up in blankets and take her home.
Half a century has passed since then, and though I have four children, all of whom are loved, Kim is truly the child of my heart. Every night I first thank God and then SickKids for the wonderful miracle I have been given.
My deepest gratitude and thanks for all the wonderful things you do and the lives you save.
Sincerely, Joan Foster
