SARAH’S STORY
In 2000, Sarah Cook was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. At only eight-years-old, Sarah was immersed into a world that far too many children know. She underwent a year of radiation and chemotherapy at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. While undergoing treatment she decided that when she recovered she would do everything she could to make a sick child’s time at the Montreal Children’s Hospital as warm, comfortable and positive as possible. Over the past 15 years, the Fund has raised over $9 million to make a real difference in the lives of children living with cancer.
Sarah’s Fund ensures that patients on Sarah’s Floor (7B) at the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC, as well as their parents, receive the best care possible. Sarah’s Floor is the hub of the MUHC’s Pediatric Hematology /Oncology Division.
It is designed to meet the specific needs of young patients and their families:
Twelve single-patient rooms with private bathrooms, natural light and sofa beds.
Direct access to critical departments via dedicated patient elevators.
A serene, healing environment.
A family communal kitchen, a library: television and game room.
Offices and conference rooms.
We are committed to specifically support 2 initiatives:
- Wi-Fi on Sarah’s Floor: Sarah’s Fund allows families to benefit from free access to the Hospital’s Premium Plus Package. This package offers unlimited access to the internet, movies, radio/music and Wi-Fi hotspots, and allows families and visitors in the room to use their tablets or phones without exhausting their data plans. Whether staying in touch with family, friends and colleagues; staying up to date with school work or even watching a movie, or listening to music, this package provides a welcoming distraction to the children undergoing treatment and their families. Without such support, families must pay 70$ per day for access to the package.
- Bone Marrow Transplant Safety Officer: The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Program at the Montreal Children’s Hospital forms the pediatric component of the MUHC program. The adult and pediatric programs perform a combined 70 bone marrow transplants per year. To conduct these transplants, the program must comply with very strict national and international standards. In order to ensure that a program follows national and international guidelines, a safety officer is required. The functions of a safety officer are crucial to a bone marrow transplant program. Without an accredited transplant program, this potentially lifesaving therapy could not be offered at the Children’s.
