LITTLE CURRENT—Few things hold more terror for a parent than their child’s illness and when that illness proves fatal, terror turns to unimaginable grief. A Little Current woman is dealing with the loss of her son by creating what she hopes will be an annual fundraising event, Mackenzie’s Run and Walk for CHEO. CHEO being the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
“I want to raise awareness about CHEO on the Island and in the area since it is not very well known and there is a chance that children from the area would be referred to CHEO and not Sick Kids (in Toronto),” said Jillian Peltier. “We had such a great experience with the doctors, nurses and staff in general at CHEO despite the fact that we did lose our son.”
Ms. Peltier noted “the staff was so supportive and helpful and caring. They did so much to help us to get through what is likely the most difficult event of our lives,” she said. “Even in the recent past we still have had contact from Mackenzie’s doctor to let us know that she still thinks of us. Also, we have had to return to CHEO with our youngest son with similar concerns and they were once again excellent and extremely understanding of our anxiety with returning to the hospital with a sick child.”
According to the CHEO foundation’s Chantal Charbonneau, senior manager of community engagement, a total of 244 children were treated in 2013 from Northeastern Ontario (Algoma, Cochrane, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Sudbury and Timiskaming). “This shows that CHEO’s catchment area includes a great deal of our surrounding area and a fairly substantial number of children from Northern Ontario are treated at CHEO,” said Ms. Peltier.
“CHEO’s NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) have a total of 30 beds available and only 25 of those beds currently receive funding,” said Ms. Peltier. “This means that the hospital has to come up with funding to support the remaining five beds should they all be filled.”
Ms. Peltier explained that “when a child is admitted to one of the ICUs they receive fulltime one-on-one nursing care and are followed by many doctors, specialists and possibly even a dietician depending on the situation, so there is a lot of care needed, meaning lots of funding to pay for it all.”
“Recently, we have learned that CHEO is working on a project to fund the building of two new minor procedure rooms, including one specifically for inflammatory bowel disease as well as state-of-the-art MRI and surgical equipment,” she said. “This project will help to reduce wait times for surgeries and diagnostic procedures which is so important for any family with a sick child.”
Mackenzie Peltier was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at CHEO, a diagnosis that had eluded doctors for some time before his death. It was a time of tremendous difficulty for the young family.
“Many people wonder how our family can cope with losing Mackenzie,” said Ms. Peltier. “It has been very difficult, but I feel that by doing things to keep his memory alive such as this Run and Walk event, it really helps me to feel like Mackenzie’s life had a purpose. Even though he was only here a short while, his life will create an impact on other’s lives and that is what helps me to get through each day.”
“The idea that there is money needed by the hospital to help ensure that every child gets the excellent care they deserve makes me want to help,” said Ms. Peltier. “Since Mackenzie’s passing, I have been wanting to somehow raise money for CHEO in Mackenzie’s memory and have finally come up with an idea.”
That idea, Mackenzie’s Run and Walk for CHEO, has come to fruition and is scheduled to be held in Little Current on July 12, with all of the proceeds being donated to CHEO. There will be a 5 km run, a 2 km walk and a 1 km event for children—something for just about everybody.
The cost to register is $20 per person and each participant will receive a t-shirt and have a chance to win a prize.
If you wish to register early and reserve your t-shirt size, email mackenzierunandwalk@outlook.com. You can also visit Ms. Peltier’s Special Events fundraising page to donate directly to the CHEO Foundation online at www.cheofoundation.com/donate/ and searching for Jillian Peltier under the “find an existing fundraising page” link.
