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Thank you for giving comfort to families and kids

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2026 (205 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When children are in hospital, especially for long stretches of time, it affects the whole family. Caregivers and kids can all feel stressed, overwhelmed and scared. That’s why at Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, we’re so grateful for the experts and donor-supported programs that help families and kids like Calvin cope while in treatment at Manitoba’s only children’s hospital.

In January of 2025, Calvin started to get very sick. At first parents Hannah and Scott thought he had the flu, but his symptoms escalated quickly. He began vomiting, complained of a severe headache, and became unusually sleepy. When he struggled to stay awake, they knew the situation was serious and he needed HSC Children’s Hospital Emergency.

In emergency, testing confirmed Calvin had meningitis and he was admitted to HSC Children’s where he stayed for about a week. Emergency was the first stop for Calvin, but to this day he still relies on the care at HSC Children’s.

Calvin lives with an autoimmune disorder called myasthenia gravis, which was well managed until his bout with meningitis and after his first stay Calvin had more flare ups of pain. Between January to March, he ended up at Children’s Hospital Emergency six more times overnight before a final 16-day stretch as an inpatient where he needed imaging, testing, medication, pain management and a nasogastric (NG) tube for nutrition.

Hannah remembers many long days where Calvin couldn’t move and the hope she felt when he started to improve.

“We started to see progress in Calvin for the first time when he was in the playroom,” says Hannah. “It was the first time he wanted to move.”

The playroom at HSC Children’s is run by Child Life specialists who are experts in child development and helping kids cope during difficult times.

Child Life programming includes the playroom, Music Therapy, the Library Program, Children’s Hospital TV, and special celebrations.

Now Calvin is back at home, full of energy, playing with his siblings Lucas and Heidi and enjoying life as a happy, active child. He loves the Winnipeg Jets, skating, hockey, puzzles, monster trucks and biking; he learned to ride a two-wheel bike shortly before he turned four in summer of 2025.

Calvin and his family still visit HSC Children’s often for follow-up care.

Child Life programming is 100 per cent funded by donors. Hannah says she is deeply grateful for the kindness of our community and the role they play in helping families like hers through some of their hardest days.

Meet Your 2026 Champion Child

A parent’s voice is usually the very first sound a baby hears, but when Ireland was born the world was silent. Soon after, audiologists confirmed she had profound deafness.

Ireland’s parents worried about her development but thanks to her medical team at HSC Children’s Hospital in Manitoba, at ten months old she was the first infant in the province to have bilateral cochlear implant surgery.

Ireland’s cochlear implants allowed her to develop speech and language skills alongside her peers and each day Ireland gets to enjoy the sounds around her is a gift. Music. Singing. Laughter. Birds. Her parents saying, “I love you.”

Now 8 years old, Ireland is a kind and energetic girl who loves gymnastics, singing, birds, cheerleading and being a caring big sister.

Ireland and her family want to thank donors to who support child health research at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and ongoing care for kids at Manitoba’s only Children’s Hospital, making the health care Ireland receives possible.

For Ireland, her message to our community is clear.

“Please help kids like me!”

Learn more about your impact at goodbear.ca.