It’s your child’s birthday. Normally, she would have a party with her closest friends and family. This year, however, is different. She’s far from home, recovering from surgery in the hospital. But what if you could visually transport her to that birthday party? With the power of immersive technologies—including virtual and augmented reality—it’s possible.

Until now, the gold standard of using a throat culture swab to diagnose strep throat has required a three-day wait for results. But now, a new molecular test is being evaluated at BC Children’s Hospital that provides a diagnosis within minutes, without needing confirmation from another test.

The Sleep Lab at Home program could offer a host of benefits for families to receive high-quality overnight sleep assessments in the comfort of their own beds and would be the first of its kind in Canada.

Bo Kindree was almost 11 months old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and sadly succumbed to the disease on November 21, 2019. To honour him, his family is raising funds to support childhood AML research at BC Children’s Hospital.

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.