Children’s Miracle Network and Walmart Canada are excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Spark a Miracle campaign supporting children’s hospitals across Canada, which receive more than 3 million visits each year.
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Starting November 12th, Lids Sports Group is launching their 2021 holiday campaign to help support children’s hospitals across Canada.
Participating Lids Sport Group locations include: Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Jersey City & Game on Sports stores. From November 12th to December 31st, you can help millions of kids receive the health care they need, giving families and children hope this holiday season, including kids like Aven.
Aven and his family saw their lives change drastically in April of 2021. When Aven was 10 years old, he was sent to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital (JPCH) and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He continues to undergo treatment at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.
Why does Aven’s story matter?
Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan treats over 4,900 children like Aven each day. We all know children across Canada who have a story just like Aven and his family. When you support children’s hospitals, you can help Canadian kids get back to being kids.
This holiday season, Lids Sports Group locations across Canada are partnering with Children’s Miracle Network to launch another in-store campaign to raise funds for Canadian children’s hospitals to give back to their customers and families in their communities. During the holidays, supporting the health of children is even more important. You can help families feel warm and safe this season by donating at your local Lids for hospitalized children across Canada.
Learn more about Aven’s story, and his time at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital through his parent’s words:
Leading up to Aven’s diagnosis, he had a fever one day but was gone the next. He threw up randomly a few different times, and started feeling pain in his shoulder, then his chest and then his leg. At first, we thought growing pains, but then his leg was getting worse and he started having trouble walking and going up the stairs.
I took Aven into the doctor and he ordered blood work. That night I signed into eHealth Saskatchewan and saw from notes on the file that he had Leukemia. I was in complete shock. I panicked and did not sleep that night. The next morning the oncologist called and said that Aven had Leukemia and that we had to go immediately JPCH in Saskatoon. I was in disbelief. We got in the car and drove to Saskatoon. I was adamant that when we got there they would rerun his blood work. I kept praying and believing that they would check it and there would be no evidence of Leukemia, but sadly this was not the case.
When Aven found out about the diagnosis he was scared and nervous. He did not want to go to the hospital, but he ended up having a lot of fun there. Our experience at JPCH was phenomenal! We were constantly impressed by the care and staff at the hospital as well as all the resources available to us. The staff was wonderful. Everyone was so caring and made our time there a little easier as it was a very emotional time for us. Aven loved being able to paint, make crafts, clay pieces and slime. He also loved that the music therapist came to his room and taught him how to play a few new instruments. I still break down and cry whenever I watch the videos.
Since our time at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, Aven is doing well overall. He has good and bad days. He pretty much needs to be on antibiotics nausea medication all the time otherwise he gets sick. He is so easy going and even though he is scared every time they have to access his port he never complains. To be his parents, is the best reward we could ever ask for.
-Aven’s Parents
This holiday season, you can help give the gift of specialized health care to children like Aven, and families across Canada. Donations go towards local children’s hospitals like Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, working to heal children and give them the best treatment possible. Visit a Lids Sports Group store today to donate.
