Champions start small

New grants to Hospital Foundations in Edmonton and Sault Ste. Marie

The Sandra Schmirler Foundation provided two new grants this year, totaling over $80,000.

The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation in Edmonton received $50,693.25 for a vital piece of equipment called a video laryngoscope. This is a scope designed to visualize the larynx using video technology. The video camera is mounted on a scope used to gain access and view the larynx for diagnosis, removal of foreign bodies, and insertion of tubes via a nasal or oral route.

The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation focuses on raising funds in support of world-class pediatric health care through education, research, special services and the purchase of highly specialized equipment.

The Sault Area Hospital neonatal intensive care unit received two grants this year. The first grant of almost $30,000 was used towards the purchase of a Giraffe Incubator. The second donation of $20,000 was used to purchase a new glidescope for the unit.

The Giraffe Incubator is the most advanced, user-friendly and developmentally supportive incubator available today. It provides an unsurpassed healing environment for intensely ill infants.

The glidescope is a piece of equipment that is used when intubating - the process of inserting a breathing tube into the windpipe - and greatly increases the success rate, especially with unpredictable or difficult airways.

Victoria Hospitals Foundation receives $24,000 for Fetal Heart Monitors

The Victoria Hospitals Foundation in Victoria, British Columbia, works in partnership with the Vancouver Island Health Authority to enable donations to Vancouver Island’s two largest and most comprehensive hospitals: the Royal Jubilee and the Victoria General. These two hospitals serve residents of southern Vancouver Island as well as thousands of other patients who need specialty, high-level medical care that is not available locally.

Victoria General Hospital is the pediatric hospital for southern Vancouver Island and the pediatric referral centre for all of Vancouver Island — meaning that child patients living elsewhere are sent here for specialty treatment that is not available locally. It is also home to one of the province’s three Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Units and the only one outside the Greater Vancouver area.

Nearly tiny 600 babies receive care in the NICU at Victoria General Hospital every year. This includes infants from all over Vancouver Island as well as from elsewhere in the province.

The $24,000 grant received from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation enables outdated fetal heart monitors at Victoria General Hospital to be replaced. A fetal heart monitor is a critical diagnostic tool used throughout pregnancy and the birth process to provide vital information about a baby’s health.

“With nearly 3,000 births monitored at Victoria General Hospitals each year, there is a large demand for this equipment,” said Melanie McKenzie, executive director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “Updating it to the latest technology and diagnostic capabilities will significantly enhance neonatal health care on Vancouver Island, and for that we are truly grateful to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.”

During the 2006-2007 season, a $24,000 grant was presented to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, McMaster Children’s Hospital (through the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation) and the Lethbridge Regional Hospital Foundation both received $50,000 each.

McMaster Children’s Hospital receives $50,000

McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) is one of the top pediatric academic health sciences centres in the country with 117 acute care beds, 40 pediatric clinics and a full range of specialized inpatient services. McMaster Children’s Hospital is home to one of the country’s most impressive Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a cutting-edge Neurometabolic and Neuromuscular Clinic and a state-of-the-art endosuite - the only one of its kind in Canada - for performing minimally invasive surgery.

Founded in 1988, MCH has rapidly become a leader in pediatric evidence-based care, collaborative research and innovative leading-edge education. MCH is one of the two busiest children’s hospitals in Ontario offering specialized care to more than 150,000 children each year from South Central Ontario extending from Niagara to Kitchener-Waterloo and beyond. McMaster Children’s Hospital is a hospital within a hospital and an integral member of the Hamilton Health Sciences system of hospitals and the home of the McMaster Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI).

The funds donated via a grant for $50,000 will go towards the purchase of a Giraffe Incubator for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “This specialized equipment allows us to treat the very distinctive needs of children by ensuring that the infant is properly positioned for all types of procedures”, said Dr. Peter Steer, President, McMaster Children’s Hospital. “At McMaster Children’s Hospital our practice revolves around family-centred care and using leading edge equipment, like the Giraffe Incubator, is one of the most important ways we can assure families that their child is receiving the best care possible. Support from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation is paramount in enabling McMaster Children’s Hospital lead the way in pediatric health care, education and innovation”.

Sandra Schmirler Foundation Donates $100,000 to Regina’s NICU

On June 29th, 2005, the Sandra Schmirler Foundation donated $100,000 for a Procedures Room in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Regina General Hospital. A special event was held in the currently vacant mother baby space of the hospital to recognize the donation. “This incredible donation will make an amazing difference to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and to the tiny babies we treat. For the first time, the NICU will have its own Procedures Room. This will enable us to treat at-risk newborns right here in the NICU - saving valuable time and eliminating the risk that can be associated with moving these fragile babies”, said Dr. Joy Dobson, Chair of the Hospitals of Regina Foundations ‘Small is BIG’ campaign.

“The Sandra Schmirler Foundation is proud to be supportive of the new Centre for Mother Baby Care”, said Joan McCusker, Director of Sandra Schmirler Foundation. “The Foundation believes our donation to this vitally important Centre strengthens our mission to help families with seriously ill children. We know that Sandra’s story can provide strength and inspiration to other young women facing difficult life challenges. This truly will be a living legacy for generations to come and our Foundation is honoured to play a role right here in Sandra’s back yard”.

Sandra Schmirler Foundation Grant Provides Education Tool to the Lethbridge Regional Hospital

Imagine holding a premature baby that is no more than two, three or four pounds. Now imagine having to hook up that tiny little infant to a ventilator, to vital sign monitors, and perhaps needle-poke them to start an intravenous infusion. That’s why physicians and nurses who care for “babies in crisis” at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital believe a $50,000 grant by the Sandra Schmirler Foundation is a very special gift.The funds make possible the purchase of an emergency care simulator “BabySIM” doll used in teaching staff how to care for the most vulnerable patients in a safe, but totally realistic learning environment. Intricate details such as realistic touch and feel, clinched fists and a layer of baby fat help create an appropriate representation of a three-to-six month old infant. Based on intricate software technology, the BabySIM incorporates highly developed infant physiological models that generate realistic and automatic responses to clinical interventions and drug administration. The BabySIM responds accurately to learner interventions, making it the perfect ‘practice’ patient. “Clinical staff gain the skills and the confidence they need to care for real babies in crisis”, says Leslie McCoy, Director Children’s Health. “Treating a critically-ill infant requires a unique skill set that can only come from hands-on, real time experience. Knowing what to look for is essential, but this kind of experience can”t come from exposure to critical care situations in practice”, said Ms. McCoy. “The stakes are simply too high”, she said.

By providing a realistic means to bridge the gap from theory to practical application, the “BabySIM” provides the best transition for learners to apply their knowledge of infant patient care in a safe, no-risk environment. The educational value of the “BabySIM” is summed up in the fact that critical care interventions can be practiced on the simulator, better preparing healthcare professionals for critical events involving infants. The “BabySIM” at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital will be used extensively by current staff as well as students in the nursing program at Lethbridge Community College.

The Gioia Twins

The Sault Ste. Marie Area Hospital (SAH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), its tiny patients and their families, all benefited from a generous donation of $30,000 by the Sandra Schmirler Foundation towards the purchase of a new incubator.

The new GE Healthcare Giraffe incubator is a sophisticated piece of equipment, offering ultimate comfort for premature babies and ease of use for parents and care providers. "Our new incubator accommodates two babies and offers many exceptional features, including optimal control of light, noise, heat, humidity and oxygen," says Gisele Anderson, Manager of Maternal/Child Program.

Gisele explains that tiny, fragile babies in the NICU need a peaceful, stable environment to grow and thrive. "This incubator is equipped with a bed tilt, an elevating base, an integrated scale and a softer rotating mattress, all features that allow you to take care of babies without disturbing them, promoting an optimal healing environment."

The new incubator was first put to good use on February 23, 2010 when premature twins, Preston and Carter Gioia, were born at SAH. Proud parents Stephani and Giancarlo were thrilled with the new accommodations for their baby boys.

"My husband and I did a lot of research on nurturing twins and all the literature recommended co-sleeping twins for optimal healing and bonding," says Stephani. "This was important to us but when our twins were born premature, we didn’t think that we would be able co-sleep them. When I saw our babies together, I started to cry."

According to Stephani, the incubator was very easy to use and made family bonding easy and convenient. "The NICU environment can be intimidating for new parents but this incubator was easy to use, offered great access to our boys and had a great view," she says. Stephani’s older daughters, Olivia, 6 and Ava, 2 were also able to bond with their new brothers when they visited. "The twins were in the NICU for almost a month, so it was important for the entire family to bond with them."

It was reassuring for the Gioia family to know highly skilled and compassionate staff was caring for their babies when they couldn’t be there. "Despite how difficult it was to leave our babies in the evening, it was a great comfort to know that they were in a wonderful environment, being taken care of by excellent nurses and staff."

The new incubator, along with much more sophisticated equipment will move to the new hospital when it opens in March 2011. Gisele says that the state-of-the-art NICU will feature this new incubator, along with eight new baby warmers and nine new isolettes. "Sandra’s Schmirler's legacy will continue to live on through the babies and families we serve in Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma for many years to come."

Emma’s Story

My name is Diane Gushulak. As a curler, I have been to three Scotties Tournament of Hearts. In 1995, I represented Ontario, in 2004 and 2009 I played on the British Columbia team.

In the early summer of 2006, I became pregnant. My pregnancy was without complications and I anticipated giving birth on my due date of February 3rd, 2007. This all changed on October 7th. On that day, I began having contractions. Four days later, I gave birth to a very little baby girl who we named Emma. She weighed 487 grams (about 1 pound 1 oz). She was born at 23-1/2 weeks, or about 4 months too early. We were given odds of survival of between 20% and 50%. Thus, my journey began. From the beginning, Emma was a fighter. But fight was not enough. She needed every possible form of care that a neonatal unit can provide.

This is the focus of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, where donations are collected and then projects are funded at neonatal units in hospitals across Canada. For her first 2 months of life, Emma was in an incubator and was kept alive with ventilation. During that time, she also required numerous blood transfusions and underwent an operation to fully use her lungs. This was followed by various different breathing devices with names such as CPAP, SIPAP, and at the end, free flow oxygen. Again, this is the type of equipment the Sandra Schmirler Foundation funds. Over the months, Emma grew and got stronger every day. There were many “ups and downs” during my journey, but there was a very happy ending.

On February 14th, 2007 I received the greatest Valentine’s present one could ever get. Baby Emma came home. She is truly a miracle. I am forever indebted to the caring doctors, nurses and to organizations such as the Sandra Schmirler Foundation for bringing my baby home.

Today, I am thrilled to say, Emma has no health problems and is a very happy and healthy little girl.