Our stories

Alaa found her new community at CHEO

Meet Alaa Abashar, Patient Experience Lead in the Emergency Department

“Growing up, I always knew I wanted to work with kids,” says Alaa. “I didn’t know how exactly, but I knew it was something I was meant to do.” In 2013, Alaa’s dream began to take shape. She moved from Abu Dhabi to Canada and started her bachelor’s degree in childhood and youth studies, with a minor in disability studies.

But moving to Ottawa and away from everything she knew was a culture shock for Alaa. Her first year of...

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CHEO proactively tackles challenges thanks to historic funding

CHEO has taken the express lane in the past year to grow and transform thanks to historic government funding, which has helped Ottawa’s pediatric hospital shorten wait-lists, hire more staff, and capitalize on innovation to provide the best care to every child and youth.

Last July, after years of advocacy alongside the Children’s Health Coalition to right-size the pediatric health-care system, CHEO received $40.5 of the $330 million invested by the Ontario government to children’s health organizations.

The funding directly

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“CHEO is more than just a hospital.” – Scarlett Montserrat Sanabria-Ramos

Meet Scarlett Montserrat Sanabria-Ramos, Administrative Assistant with the Consultation Liaison Team

“CHEO is more than just a hospital; it is a beacon of hope, love, and inspiration for our family,” says Scarlett.

Growing up in Mexico City, Scarlett spent her childhood battling severe asthma attacks due to the city's thick smog. Before arriving in Canada in 2012, hospital visits were already a routine part of her life.

“My family made the monumental decision to leave behind everything we knew,”...

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Grateful family gifts CHEO tools to help kids rehabilitate

For CHEO staff, Arielle Roy and Kayla Dudas, a small step for their patients represents a major sign of progress.

Roy, an inpatient physiotherapist, and Dudas, an inpatient occupational therapist (OT), are members of a team that helps children admitted to CHEO who require physical rehabilitation. In one recent case, a three-year-old girl was admitted with a condition that left her immobile. She could no longer crawl—let alone walk.

Gradually, during several sessions lasting from one to two hours, the pair worked with the girl

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Mustafa, Arabic interpreter, helps newcomer families navigate CHEO

Meet Mustafa Tawfiq, Arabic Interpreter with the Patient Experience team

“Throughout my journey, I have been committed to gaining people’s trust and supporting them. I feel obliged to be a positive member of society,” says Mustafa. A dentist by trade, Mustafa immigrated to Canada from the Middle East in 2008. After several unsuccessful attempts to get accredited for dentistry in Canada, Mustafa pivoted.

Keen to help people and continue working in health care, he completed the bridging program for...

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