Where You Live Shouldn’t Determine if You Live
The Cause
The Herbie Fund brings children across the globe to SickKids for lifechanging care.
SickKids staff donate their time and expertise. Donors like you cover the rest.
It’s philanthropy in synchronicity.
History of the Herbie Fund
It began with a single patient: Herbie Quinones of Brooklyn, New York. He was born with a rare birth defect that made it hard to breathe when swallowing food, which only SickKids had the expertise to fix. Dr. Robert Filler, the SickKids Surgeon in Chief, offered to operate for free, but Herbie’s family still couldn’t afford the hospital costs. So, the community rallied, led by Paul and Gina Godfrey, pooling their resources to bring baby Herbie to SickKids. In 1979, Herbie had his lifesaving operation—and the Herbie Fund was born.
Over the past 40 years, the Herbie Fund has brought more than 800 patients from over 100 countries to SickKids. Here, they’ve been treated for everything from heart defects to severe epilepsy by world-renowned specialists.
David's Story
At the age of one, David broke his leg and a local doctor in Haiti detected a heart murmur during the assessment. A few years later, David had his first echocardiogram in the Dominican Republic. David had a heart defect, which was creating high blood pressure in his tiny lungs. But the Dominican Republic lacked the specialized expertise to help him - and so did Haiti and the Cayman Islands
That's where SickKids came in.
The Herbie Fund brought David to Canada, where our world-class cardiac team performed the surgery to repair his heart. Now, David is back in Haiti—happy and healthy with a fixed heart.
How to get involved
Host an Event
Harness the power of your network by hosting a community event in support of the Herbie Fund. Click here to register your event.
Leave a Gift in Your Will
A stronger heart for a Botswanan boy. A life free from seizures for a Ukrainian girl. Lifechanging plastic surgery for a Haitian infant. Your legacy could be all this—and more. How?
By leaving a gift in your will for The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation. Leave a direct amount, a piece of property, or even a percentage of your estate. Even small gifts can make a big difference. Learn how here.
Contact the Herbie Fund at SickKids
If you would like to make a referral to the Herbie Fund for an international patient, or learn more about the application process, please click here or call 1-416-813-7654 ext. 428917
