A decade ago, if children tore or sprained their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)—one of the key ligaments in the knee—they would either have to stop sports or wait until they stopped growing before getting it reconstructed. This could take years and would impact any aspects of their daily lives. Fast forward to today, and surgeons at BC Children’s can now safely reconstruct a child’s ACL while they’re growing—allowing them to get back to their favourite activities sooner than ever before. 

Stephen Sander was just a teenager when the 1947 partition of India led him to lose everything—his family, the chance to go to school, and life as he knew it. As a refugee, it was a very challenging time that was filled with adversity. But it was during these years that Stephen discovered something profound: how a small act of kindness can change a life.

It didn’t take long for a beautiful summer afternoon in 2010 to become one that David and Cindy Primrose will never forget. While visiting relatives in BC, their 11-year-old daughter Natalie was out horseback riding when she was thrown to the ground and stepped on by the horse. Natalie was immediately rushed to the emergency department in Mission—but her injuries were so severe that she needed to be airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital.

Despite the turmoil in the world and the many ways your own lives have been impacted, you have reached out to ask how our hospital is responding to COVID-19 and what you can do to help. I want to express my deepest gratitude for your continued support during this time and share the creation of a Rapid Response Fund to address the immediate needs facing BC Children’s Hospital.

Starting March 17, 2020, Foundation staff will work remotely from home. While our physical office will be closed until further notice, our Foundation team is still here to support you.

Canadian Pacific (CP) and Golf Canada announced today that BC Children’s Hospital Foundation has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2020 CP Women’s Open. Fundraising initiatives will occur leading up to the tournament and a month-long public match campaign starts February 1st, in recognition of Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Month. Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open partnership will support the Children’s Heart Centre at BC Children’s Hospital. Funds will be used to purchase a new fleet of the latest generation cardiac ultrasound machines, advance the cardiac research program and help to train the next generation of medical superstars.

Mining for Miracles, the BC mining industry’s long-standing fundraising campaign for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, is raising $3.385M to establish the BC Children’s Hospital Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre (CRMC). The first of its kind in Western Canada, the CRMC will give clinicians at BC Children’s the tools to better understand the genetic cause of heart arrhythmias so they can provide the best possible care to children in BC. It will result in improved diagnoses, identification of optimal treatments, and potentially, cures—improving and saving the lives of children across the province and beyond. In the future, the CRMC may also be used to provide answers for the thousands of children living with other conditions, like diabetes, cancer, bowel disease, and epilepsy. 

The country’s first 3D endoscopic system for high-precision head and neck surgeries at BC Children’s provides surgeons here with never-before-seen 3D views during procedures. With this technology, made possible through the support of Hollyburn Properties, these experts will now have a level of visual detail and clarity of the delicate parts of the body they’re operating on, as well as the entire surgical site, that they didn’t have before.

The holiday season has arrived—and along with it, numerous kids’ activities, gift-buying and hectic schedules that often come with the season. To help you and the kids in your life navigate this busy season, we’ve curated a handful of mindfulness tips.

Today, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation announces its accreditation under Imagine Canada’s national Standards Program. This achievement is awarded to Canadian charities and non-profits successfully demonstrating practices that reflect integrity and build public trust.