Winter 2011 - Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation

WINTER 2011
A True Champion!
Ask 4-year-old Sienna Wood about the
“fishies” in the hospital fish tanks and she’ll
tell you that they belong to her. In fact, after
spending the first half of her life in hospital,
little Sienna thinks of it as her second home.
Born with a rare and complex cyst that covered
the entire left side of her brain, Sienna needed
specialists at the Alberta Children’s Hospital to
save her life many times.
Sienna needed specialists at
the Alberta Children’s Hospital
to save her life many times.
“Our baby’s head was larger than average, but
we just figured she would grow into it.” says
Sienna’s mom, Brenda. “Little did we know
that she had an illness which would end up
requiring more than 30 operations on her
brain.”
While cysts on the brain in children are
relatively common, Sienna’s was unusually
large, irregularly shaped, wrapped throughout
her brain and was compounded by an
increasing buildup of fluid. Her brain function,
development and life were all at risk. Ten years
ago, there would have been little that could
have been done to save her.
“We were terrified,” says Brenda. “Our whole
world came crumbling down. As parents, you
want to make everything better – to take
away pain and fix everything for your kids. We
couldn’t… and were feeling helpless.”
continued inside...

Community support makes the difference for kids!
Fortunately for Sienna, the Alberta
Children’s Hospital is a national leader in
the type of operations she needed – thanks
to support from the community.
“Generous donors funded the specialized
surgical tools we needed,” says neurosurgeon
Dr. Mark Hamilton. “The hightech
scopes equipped with lights and
cameras were crucial in guiding us during
the multiple surgeries required to address
Sienna’s unique and extremely complicated
condition.”
Throughout her long series of surgeries,
everyone around her – her family, doctors,
nurses and therapists – were all amazed by
Sienna’s incredible spirit.
“I remember when she was just a baby,
before she could talk, as she was recovering
from several operations, Sienna would
somehow muster the strength to smile and
blow kisses at all of us,” recalls Dr. Hamilton.
“She was – and still is – so sweet and
bubbly.”
“Sienna has taught me more in four short
years than I’ll ever be able to teach her in
a lifetime,” says Brenda. “Through it all, she
was always ready with hugs or a giggle.
Even when she couldn’t lift her head off her
pillow, she never lost the twinkle in her eyes.
She gave all of us hope and strength.”
Today, Sienna is a playful and affectionate
chatterbox. She likes reading, coloring, and
commenting on people’s jewelry.
“Two years ago, we were wondering what
was in store for Sienna if she survived,” says
Brenda. “The Alberta Children’s Hospital
became our lifeline and gave us the ability
to now dream and hope for wonderful
things for her future.”
Because of her courageous spirit, Sienna
has been named the 2010-11 Champion
Child for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
In November, she and her family had the
opportunity to meet other amazing kids
from across North America at Champions
presented by Walmart Canada - a very special
celebration organized by the Children’s
Miracle Network.
“Having the chance to meet other families
like ours was incredible,” says Brenda.
“We bonded instantly and found comfort
in getting to know people who’ve been
through what we have. It’s so nice to
have hospital experts and other families
supporting us in our journey. ”
To watch a short video about
Sienna and her story, visit
www.childrenshospital.ab.ca.
4-year-old Sienna loves “her” hospital - where brain surgeons saved
her life using high-tech equipment funded by the community.

Little Amanda and Zihbien enjoy their music
therapy class with their moms and music
therapist, Marc Houde.
Making music
makes connections !
Thanks to incredible donor support, the
Alberta Children’s Hospital is home
to one of the most vibrant music therapy
programs in the country. With two music
therapists on staff, children in hospital have
the opportunity to engage in various music
activities during their stay.
For the past two years, the music therapy
program has provided a special opportunity
for young children being cared for in the
Downs Syndrome Clinic.
Twice a month, children and their parents
are invited to attend a group music therapy
session featuring singing, dancing and
instruments of all kinds. “You’d be amazed at
how these beautiful little ones light up when
I start to play my guitar,” says Marc Houde,
music therapist at the Alberta Children’s
Hospital. “They are so pleased to see the
connection between their movements and
the sounds coming from the bells or drums.”
Rowena Saballo has brought her two-yearold
daughter, Amanda, to several of the
group music therapy sessions over this past
year. “It’s a great time for us to play together
in a more intentional way,” says Rowena. “It’s
given me good ideas for how to use music
at home as I teach her about her world. She
especially enjoys playing the drum. She has
natural rhythm!” she says with a laugh.
Music therapists at the hospital work in
collaboration with our team of experts to
support developmental and rehabilitation
goals for children of all ages and levels of
ability. For example, tapping a tambourine
or holding on to rhythm sticks increases
hand strength. Children with speech
and language challenges often enjoy the
opportunity to improve their vocalization
skills when accompanied by music. Muscle
tone, coordination and balance are also
improved when stretching, jumping, or
marching to a song.
“Music and kids have such a natural
connection,” says Marc. “When the music
starts many instinctively know what to do,
and what results always goes way beyond
mere music making. They are learning about
themselves and their world and having fun
while doing it. That’s music to my ears!”
For more information about how
your support helps the kids, visit
www.childrenshospital.ab.ca.

Lucas LaBerge and his family talked about
his heart transplant at Radiothon 2010 to help
inspire support for 3-D Echocardiography.
RADIOTHON
Good for the Heart!
RADIOTHON 2011 • February 9, 10 & 11 • 6 am to 7 pm daily
Thanks to supporters of the Country
105/Q107 Caring for Kids Radiothon,
the Alberta Children’s Hospital has become
a western Canadian leader in a new type of
imaging which is revolutionizing treatment
for children with serious heart problems -
kids just like 1-year-old, Nevan Tuchscherer.
Nevan was born with severe aortic stenosis
- a narrowing of the aortic valve which
was causing another valve in his heart to
leak. Cardiologists initially tried to fix the
problem through an operation called
balloon dilation, where a tiny balloon is used
to open up the aortic valve. Unfortunately,
a few months later, the valve was still leaking.
Neven’s Cardiology team had to break the
news to his parents, Tara and Ryan, that in
order to save Nevan’s life, he would need
another operation.
Prior to the second surgery, doctors used
3-D Echocardiography to take an in-depth
look at Nevan’s little heart. The high quality
3-D images meant his doctors could see
not only that the valve was leaking, but
also where and how it was leaking. “They
were able to arm Neven’s surgeons with as
much information about our baby’s heart
as possible before going into surgery to
repair it,” says Ryan. “Knowing they had all
this information gave us so much peace of
mind.”
Last year, Radiothon donors helped to fund
the purchase of cutting-edge technology
called 3-D Echocardiography which allows
specialists to see vivid, three-dimensional
pictures of kids’ hearts. This new type
of ultrasound imaging is saving lives by
improving accuracy in both diagnoses and
surgery.
“This is critical in terms of planning
surgery,” says Dr. Frank Dicke, Division
Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at the Alberta
Children’s Hospital. “Doctors can see and
understand before they operate what
exactly they are going to encounter before
even going in to repair the heart. Surgeons
don’t like surprises.”
Because of the 3-D imaging, surgeons are
also able to decrease surgery time which
translates into faster and better recovery
for kids.
Dr. Dicke credits similar advancements in
technology for improving overall survival
rates for kids with serious heart conditions.
For example, children born with a severely
underdeveloped left side of their heart
in the mid 1990’s had only a 30 percent
chance of survival. Today, approximately 90
percent survive the surgery.
With their recognized expertise in cardiac
imaging, our heart specialists are not only

3-D Echo machine in use at
Alberta Children’s Hospital
improving care for kids in Calgary, they’re
also sharing their knowledge to benefit
kids across the country. This summer, the
Alberta Children’s Hospital hosted the first
ever 3-D Echo and Cardiac MRI Course for
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Canada trainees in Cardiology – a
special intensive course for all of Canada’s
cardiologists who will graduate over the
next three years.
“This is a great example of why community
support is so important,” says Dr. Dicke.
“Having the most innovative tools at our
disposal allows us to save lives in our own
hospital and to help others do the same
across the country.”
Country 105’s
Roger Rhodes
with Lucas and his
mom, Aprile and
brother, Noah.
The 3-D Echo technology is just one of
the many crucial enhancements – which
include life-saving equipment, child health
programs and innovative research - funded
by the Country 105/Q107 Caring for Kids
Radiothon over the past eight years.
“We’ve always known we have the best
listeners in the world – and Radiothon
has shown us we have the most generous
too,” says Country 105 personality Roger
Rhodes. “It feels great to host an event
that is helping to put the latest and greatest
tools into the hands of the incredible
doctors at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
And we get to meet some of the incredible
kids and families this technology is helping.
It’s a pretty wonderful feeling to be a part
of that.”
Tune in to
RADIOTHON 2011
on Country 105 and Q107
February 9, 10 & 11
6 am - 7 pm each day
Listen to the stories of the
amazing children and families
who are benefitting from care
at our hospital - and generous
support from our community!
Be a
part of it!
You can help build the success – and
the excitement – around radiothon
today… even before it hits the
airwaves. It’s easy!
1
Become a Miracle Maker by joining
our amazing family of monthly
supporters.
2
Inspire your friends and families to
help kids at the hospital! Register
yourself and/or a team to raise funds
online. It’s as simple as sending an
email.
Radiothon 2011 Phone Bank Sponsor
To learn more, go to
www.kidsradiothon.com
Radiothon is an initiative developed by the Children’s Miracle Network. Foresters is proud to be the founding
sponsor and international underwriter of this program.

Students at Dr. Gordon Townsend School
come from three different programs within
the hospital:
With teachers like Rae Miller at her
side, Cassandra Bartlett has been
able to keep up with her studies at
the Dr. Gordon Townsend School while
recovering from brain surgery.
Rehabilitation - for students whose
school attendance is affected by recovery
from surgery, illness or injury and require
short-term intensive occupational
therapy, physiotherapy or speech/
language therapy.
Mental Health - a four-to-eight week
program for students who have social,
emotional or behavioural challenges in
their home or at school with the goal
to reintegrate children back to their
community school.
Eating Disorders Clinic - for students
aged 14 - 18 years old, the school
provides a support teacher for patients
enrolled in the Day Treatment Program.
THE ABCs OF REHABILITATION
Did you know the Alberta Children’s
Hospital is the only pediatric hospital
in the country with an on-site school for
patients requiring intensive rehabilitation or
short-term hospitalization?
With the first teacher hired in 1922 when
the hospital first opened, young patients
have always been given the chance to learn
and grow as part of their healing experience
at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The
school officially became known as the Dr.
Gordon Townsend School in 1978 - named
after a well-respected pediatric surgeon
who firmly believed that children benefit
from educational opportunities along their
road to recovery.
On average there are 34 students at the
school every day from three different
programs: rehabilitation, mental health
(inpatient and outpatient) and the eating
disorders clinic. Each student requires
individualized educational plans and therapy
goals.
“While students are here, they do school
work with the help of a teacher,” says Eric
Perrault, assistant principal. “These teachers
work alongside rehabilitation and medical
teams ensuring that kids not only get the
educational assistance they need, but also
the medical help they need to get better.
Our school days are a little different than
a traditional school because some kids
may have more than five intensive therapy
sessions a week.”
Cassandra Bartlett is one such student. This
past October, Cassandra underwent a
lengthy surgery to help put a stop to her
almost constant seizures. After several
weeks of recovery, she was home and
medically stable, but not quite ready to
return to her community school.
“Finding out that Cassie could attend
classes at Gordon Townsend, while keeping
up with her extensive physical, occupational
and speech therapy, was so great,” says
Cassandra’s mom, Lolita. “It gave her a
chance to ease back into the routines of
schoolwork...not to mention how wonderful
it was for her to have a chance to be with
other kids going through similar recovery or
therapy.”
“Our goal is to get these students back
to their own schools when they’re ready,”
says Eric, one of eight Calgary Board of
Education staff members at the school.
By working with the community school
administration and teachers, the Gordon
Townsend staff ensure a smooth transition
for these students.
Soon, Cassandra will be returning to her
regular school - the Calgary Arts Academy.
“The teachers here are really nice,” says
Cassandra. “I’ve still been able to do art
here because one of the art therapists
comes and helps me with special projects,
so that’s been fun.”
Generous community support for a wide
range of rehabilitaton and therapy programs
at the Alberta Children’s Hospital make
it possible for students to thrive in their
educational endeavours at the Dr. Gordon
Townsend School.
“This really is a one-of-a-kind place for a
teacher to work,” says Rae Miller, a teacher
at the school for more than 20 years. “It’s a
real privilege to work with these kids and
see them improve and get stronger. They
teach me a lot!”

KiDS
HEL PING K IDS
alberta children’s hospital foundation
All-Star
Attitude!
How many teenage boys do you know
who’d give up hockey party money
to help sick kids instead? The Springbank
Midget 5 Hurricanes are proud to say that
all the players on their team decided to
do just that and more….by raising over
$20,000 for the Alberta Children’s Hospital!
This year, instead of fundraising for travel
to different tournaments or team parties,
Coach Dustin Aasen asked his team whether
they’d like to do something bigger. The
players were keen on the idea and began
asking neighbours and area businesses for
support. Within a couple of months, they
had gathered enough donations to hold
a raffle and silent auction at their home
tourney in December.
By the end of their three-day tournament
with the Glenlakes Hawks, the Crowfoot
Warriors and the Okotoks Oilers, the
Hurricanes had raised more than twice their
original goal. They delivered their donation
just before Christmas and were able to tour
the hospital to see the kinds of things their
gift would be supporting.
“The whole team went silent when they
saw the pet room,” says Coach Aasen,
referring to the community-funded room
which enables kids in hospital to visit briefly
with their pets from home. “I think they
were taken aback when they realized what
some kids have to go through and the things
people take for granted.”
“It feels good to be contributing to such
positive programs,” says 15-year-old
teammate, Cole Johnson. “Other kids need
the help and need the money more than
we do.”
“We’re lucky to have the privilege to be
able to play hockey.” says 15-year-old
Turner Bowles. “Lots of kids don’t have that
opportunity, so it’s a good feeling to be able
to help out.”
The Hurricanes say they want to hold
another fundraiser next year and hope that
the idea will catch on with other hockey
teams.
“You don’t have to be the Flames or a
celebrity,” says Coach Aasen. “It doesn’t
matter who you are. You can make a change
in your community.”
For more information about the
Kids Helping Kids program, visit
www.childrenshospital.ab.ca/kidshelpingkids.
The Springbank Midget 5 Hurricanes celebrate
their $20,000 donation to the Alberta Children’s
Hospital Foundation following their tournament
in December.

Upcoming Events!
Mark your calendar for some wonderful
ways you can help the kids at the Alberta
Children’s Hospital!
Jan 13-27
Walmart Round Up Campaign
Feb 1-28
PartyLite Miracle Jar Campaign
February 9, 10 & 11
Country 105/Q107
Caring for Kids Radiothon
April 1-31
The Source Balloon Icon Campaign
Candy Cane Gala was an
amazing night...
...and filled our hospital
with even more hope!
Thanks to everyone who made Candy Cane Gala 2010 an incredible success!
Over $620,000 was raised to equip our hospital team with the best pediatric
human patient simulation lab in the country ensuring that children in our community
get the life-saving care they need when seconds count.
On behalf of the 80,000 children and their families who rely on care from experts
at the Alberta Children’s Hospital each year, thank you for your incredible support!
For pictures and more information, visit www.candycanegala.com.
April 25
Kinsmen Children’s Hospital Home Lotto
ticket sales begin
May 1-31
Miracle Month of May
(Costco, TD Canada Trust, Walmart)
May 1-31
ATB Teddy for a Toonie Campaign
May 7
Sunshine Gala
May 25
Family of Hope Tea
June 12
Walmart Walk for Miracles
August 11
DQ Miracle Treat Day
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
.
Riddell Family
Charitable Foundation
SILVER SPONSORS
Black Diamond Group Limited
BMO Bank of Montreal
Calgary Marriott
DirectCash Management Inc.
Edco Financial Holdings Ltd.
FirstEnergy Capital Corp.
Peters & Co. Limited
TD Bank Financial Group
TELUS
TransCanada Corporation
SUPPLIERS
Evolution Presentation Technologies
Oil City Press Ltd.
Ongoing
Blockbuster Movie Icon Campaign
Ongoing
Alberta Cans for Kids
For complete information about all of
the above events, please visit our website
at www.childrenshospital.ab.ca.
MEDIA SPONSORS
2888 Shaganappi Trail NW
Calgary, AB T3B 6A8
T 403-955-8818
F 403-955-8840
Toll Free 1-877-715-KIDS (5437)