One woman’s crusade for a children's hospital in Ottawa
Posted on Friday, June 14, 2024 09:00 AM
Barbara Mair says she’s never been backward about coming forward to fight for things she cares about.
That’s why, as president of the volunteer CHEO Auxiliary in the 1960s,she helped lead a group of women that refused to back down when detractors thought Ottawa didn’t need a children’s hospital.
They claimed Ottawa’s adult hospitals had space and expertise to treat kids, and money would be better spent elsewhere.
“The women of the community had other thoughts,” said Mair.
“We spent many years convincing people that children...
CHEO became a comfort for Fei Fan as a new mother
Posted on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 08:00 AM
Meet Fei Fan Chen, a Housekeeper with CHEO’s Environmental Services team
At six months pregnant, Fei Fan immigrated to Canada from China. At the time, little did she know the role CHEO would end up playing in her life or that it would become the place that would guide her in her early days as a mother to her newborn son Gabriel.
Fei Fan’s pregnancy had been uncomplicated and without concern – that is, until her first ultrasound in Canada. During her seven-month ultrasound, everything changed. Her...
Former volunteer, now 108 years old, helped weave CHEO into fabric of Ottawa
Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2024 01:38 PM
Juanita Snelgrove has dedicated her life to helping children in her community through many decades of volunteer work, all while raising three children as a single mother.
Snelgrove, now 108 years old, was a former volunteer at CHEO.
“It was a wonderful organization to be a part of. I had the opportunity to be connected in many little ways, along the way,” said Snelgrove, who now has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
As CHEO marks 50 years since it opened its doors on May 17, 1974,...
“There’s a willingness to help – that’s our common goal.” – Mary Lynn Taschereau
Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2024 09:16 AM
Meet Mary Lynn Taschereau, Senior Business Systems Analyst, Information Services
At the age of three, Mary Lynn underwent cardiac surgery for a congenital heart defect. Little did she know this would be the start of a long relationship with CHEO and the people who healed her.
Reflecting on some of her earliest memories, Mary Lynn remembers how her nurse made her feel safe and comfortable when she woke up in hospital without her mom by her side. For those few moments apart, Mary Lynn sat at the...
Another Canadian 1st at CHEO with new, dedicated 1-stop shop for families
Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 09:00 AM
Launched in January 2024, a new multi-disciplinary clinic at CHEO is the first of its kind in Canada to help children with neurofibromatosis and their families by transforming complex, busy care schedules into one appointment.
NF1, the most common form of neurofibromatosis, is a rare genetic condition that causes benign tumours to grow in and under the skin, often with problems involving bones, hormones and other parts of the body. It typically affects almost one of every 3,000 births and half of all diagnoses...