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From CHEO patient to CHEO volunteer to CHEO medical student, Claire Dawe-McCord has done it all.
By the time she was 16, Claire had spent more time at CHEO than most other children her age. At the end of 2015, Claire’s sickness peaked – her liver and kidney were failing, and she spent several weeks in ICU. While the odds were challenging, Claire made a complete recovery.
Because she spent so much time at CHEO, Claire wanted to give back: She was a part of the CHEO Youth Forum for six years and participated in various projects to enhance the patients’ experience at CHEO.
Seeing the impact of her work, Claire joined the Ministry of Health Patient Family Advisory Council as a patient partner to make suggestions to Ontario’s newly formed Health Teams. Today, she co-chairs the Kids Come First Health Team which is focused on creating an integrative health-care system for children and youth in the Champlain region.
Inspired to continue her journey of improving care for patients, Claire decided to study medicine. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from McMaster University and went to medical school in Calgary. During her time there, she shadowed a doctor and discovered that this doctor was a resident on her care team at CHEO - talk about a small world!
Claire is currently in her final year of med school and getting some hands-on experience at CHEO.
“I did two weeks in emergency and now I’m doing two weeks in intensive care, which is a full circle moment. Literally my first patient on this elective was in the room I stayed in when I was sick so many years ago.”
What’s next? “The goal is to become a doctor, of course. What kind of doctor though is the question. I’m enjoying my elective, so we’ll see.”
If you have a similar story to Claire’s and want to help staff and medical staff, learners continue to make positive changes at CHEO, consider joining the CHEO Youth Forum to make a difference in the lives of our patients and families.