The 41st annual CHEO Telethon wraps up tonight on CTV Ottawa after a two-week campaign of raising money and awareness about Ottawa’s children’s hospital.
This year’s telethon fundraising campaign began May 27. Over the last week on CTV News Ottawa, CTV Morning Live and Newstalk 580 CFRA, we heard stories about the important work the doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers at CHEO do every day, and about the impact CHEO has on the lives of children and families not only from Ottawa, but from across eastern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut.
The grand finale of this year’s telethon airs on CTV Ottawa between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. today.
You can make a donation online through www.cheotelethon.com or by calling 613-730-CHEO (2436). Money raised during the CHEO Telethon will support research, life-saving treatment and state-of-the-art medical equipment at the children’s hospital.
Meet the CHEO Telethon kids
As part of the CHEO Telethon, CHEO introduced us to six children and youth who have needed the children’s hospital.
Aviyah lost both of her kidneys to polycystic kidney disease and cancer, and her life completely changed. She now requires life-saving dialysis treatments in CHEO’s Medical Day Unit four mornings a week. With the support of her family and her CHEO care team, Aviyah is anxiously waiting to be cleared to receive a kidney transplant and reclaim her life.
Aviyah Simpson, 10, receives regular dialysis treatment at CHEO and gets schooling at her bedside. CHEO has become a home away from home for her. (Kimberley Fowler/CTV News Ottawa)
Eluin, better known as Lu, has always struggled with anxiety. But that escalated dangerously in 2022, leading to a mental health crisis. Referred to a network of professionals through 1Call1Click and care at CHEO, Lu now has a mental health toolbox with a collection of coping strategies.
Eluin ‘Lu’ Oudhoff took part in a dialectal behavioural therapy group program at CHEO in 2023 to help with mental health struggles. (CHEO/supplied)
Flo arrived a month early. She was born with a cleft lip and required specialized care under the watchful eye of CHEO’s neonatal intensive care team. Flo was also diagnosed with a hole in her heart and hip dysplasia. Once stabilized she was able to go home to await a cleft lip surgery. Today, Flo is a healthy and vocal one year old full of life.
Florence Sexton is thriving months after surgery to fix a cleft lip. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa)
Helen was born prematurely and with multiple health issues. Diagnosed with Down syndrome, she has faced multiple challenges from infancy, requiring surgeries, long hospital stays and visits to multiple clinics at CHEO. An empathetic teenager, Helen wants to be famous someday, and help others along the way.
Helen Nuttal at CHEO with Zedd the Clown, the hospital’s donor funded therapeutic clown. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)
Parker‘s life changed in a moment with a diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. What followed was an intense treatment protocol of chemotherapy, radiation and an elaborate surgery that involved removing the cancerous bone from his leg. A passionate hockey player, Parker is already back on skates and has his eyes on the future.
Parker McDonald’s rotationplasty, allows him to use a shorter prosthetic, which lets him run, jump, and play sports.
Nadine has had a unique medical journey. After prenatal tests revealed a congenital heart defect, surgical intervention was performed while she was still in the womb allowing her heart to function at 80 per cent. She required open heart surgery at birth and was later diagnosed with a condition that caused the bones in her skull to join together too early. A proud CHEO School student, Nadine is a shining example of resilience.
Nadine attends the CHEO School where she has access to all the support she needs, including physiotherapy.