SickKids patient ambassador & budding fashion designer
Author: Ben Rodrigues
You’re probably going to want to remember the name Hailey Tolensky, because in a few years she might just be a famous fashion designer. The eight-year-old SickKids patient ambassador has already collaborated with Lids Canada and New Era Cap Canada to create a custom Toronto Blue Jays hat which was such a hot item that it has already sold out. Even her friend and Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman struggled to get one! So how did this amazing collaboration come to be?
It began in 2012 when 17-month-old Hailey started to become perpetually dehydrated, no matter how much she drank. Her parents, Heather and Daniel, took her to their paediatrician who tested Hailey’s urine. When the results came back revealing high sugar levels and ketone presence, she was immediately referred to the emergency department at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). After more extensive testing, Hailey was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
Hailey and her parents spent the following week using every available resource at SickKids to learn as much as they could about juvenile Type 1 Diabetes, emerging as newfound experts to manage the condition. Counting the amount of carbs in the food Hailey ate, managing her activity levels and learning how to calculate insulin dosage was the easier side of things. Pricking their infant daughter’s finger eight to ten times a day to test her blood sugar levels and injecting her with insulin was a lot harder for both Hailey and her parents.
As Hailey grew older, she began to test her blood sugar levels by herself. In the summer of 2016, she received a wireless insulin pump, replacing the insulin needles. Her visits to SickKids started to become less frequent with checkups and monitoring in the Endocrinology Department, however her love for the hospital always remained the same. Ask Hailey what her favourite thing about having diabetes is and she’ll tell you it’s diabetes day at SickKids. This annual event allows families and kids who have diabetes to come together to share their experiences about the condition.
“I designed my hat with all blues, the colour of SickKids and the JDRF who also researches Type 1 Diabetes."
You only need a second to see Hailey’s custom hat to understand that her love for SickKids was the inspiration behind the design. “I designed my hat with all blues, the colour of SickKids and the JDRF who also researches Type 1 Diabetes,” she explains. “I wanted to make it fun so added some emojis and mermaid skin on the inside. The heart shows my love and support for SickKids, the most important place in the world to me and my family.”
After the renderings were complete, Lids Canada and New Era Cap Canada released Hailey’s custom SickKids Blue Jays hat in stores across the province, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to SickKids. Lids Canada also partnered with Children’s Miracle Network to run a nationwide fundraising campaign where customers purchasing goods in any one of their 147 locations would be asked if they would like to make a donation to their local children’s hospital, like SickKids.
"We are thrilled to support SickKids through programs like this as it means a lot to our whole team to get behind this initiative and give generously to our communities,” said Dan Aversa from Lids Sport Group. Joseph Domizio from New Era Cap Canada echoed that sentiment. “Of all our cap collaborations, this one meant a lot. Spending time with Hailey really drove home the value and importance of places like SickKids which is providing life-saving and life-changing care for kids like her.”
For Hailey, who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up, the entire collaboration process was an incredible journey. “Designing this hat was so important and special to me because it raised lots money and awareness for SickKids. My family and friends all bought them and it’s so cool to see them wear my design and show their support for SickKids,” she says.
There was more in store however as she attended a Toronto Blue Jays game and got to hang out with Marcus Stroman during the pre-game batting practice. Stroman noticed Hailey’s custom lid and asked where he could get one.
To see behind the scenes footage of Hailey designing her hat with Lids Canada and New Era Cap Canada, click here. The Lids Holiday Campaign is still running, so if you want to support SickKids and rock some new apparel, head to your nearest Lids store now or click here to purchase one online!
