By Sarah Stone

Pediatric unit equipment keeps family close to home

Dec 3, 2014 | 5:34 AM

As the Ninth Annual Give A Little Life day draws closer, more families who have used the pediatric and nursery units that the campaign will help are telling their stories.

On Friday, the 12-hour radio-a-thon will kick off and the money raised will go towards the purchase of much-needed equipment for those units.

Sharon Hagmann knows the ins and outs of the pediatric unit in the Victoria Hospital.

Her now 11-year-old son, Matthieu, has been going there to receive blood for almost his entire life.

She said when he was three months old he was diagnosed with Diamond–Blackfan anemia, which means he can’t make red blood cells, so every two weeks he goes to the Victoria Hospital where he gets a blood transfusion.

Court proceedings

Drugs and weapons bust in Stanley Mission, results in two year sentence

17h ago

health care

La Loche recipient of new portable blood analyzer, printer kit

19h ago

Crime

Dangerous driving report at Red Wing, leads to arrest of man with gun

22h ago

For Matthieu, the only cure is a bone marrow transplant, for which they haven’t yet found a match.

The Hagmann family is from Kinistino, so making the trip into Prince Albert is timely. However, Sharon said it could be even worse if they had to go all the way to Saskatoon.

“They [Victoria Hospital doctors] try and let you stay as close to home as you can, because Matthieu has four siblings, so the more that we can do in P.A. the happier we are because it’s easier on our family,” she said.

“You have to look after Matthieu’s needs, but you have four other kids that you have to look after their needs as well … so we’re very thankful.”

Despite Matthieu’s hardship, Sharon said he’s loving life and the staff in the unit helps make that possible.

“They try to make it as a good as experience as they can for them,” she said. “He’s just so thankful that we can do our stuff in P.A. We’ve been to hospitals all over and he’s always glad to come back to P.A.  He likes [their] rooms better than the other hospitals.”

Give A Little Life day will start at 6 a.m. on Friday and will run until 6 p.m.  For more information about how you can donate to help purchase new equipment for the pediatric and nursery units, click here. 

“You never plan on getting sick or your kids getting sick, but when they do you’re very thankful the equipment is there when you need it because it’s something they, you know, have time to go and scrounge it up.”

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84