What did some of our communities’ educators do to support our local healthcare?
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Sault Area Hospital’s Maternal Child Department is the setting. This is where some of the youngest patients grow, under specialized care, in the earliest moments of their lives. Patients are either born ill or premature, but here they can focus on heading home healthy. Great things happen here.
Mother and Son, Kassandra and Kade, experienced this first hand during the first six weeks of Kade’s life. “It’s amazing what the (healthcare providers) in the NICU were willing to do to make sure I was comfortable. This is on top of making sure Kade would continue to grow up strong. It was all amazing.” says Kassandra about the NICU, its staff and her family’s stay. So grateful and happy about the excellent care, they began telling their family and friends about their experience here at our community hospital. This included her coworkers at the F.H. Clergue and Rosedale French Immersion Schools.
Hearing about the great care Kassandra and Kade were receiving, the group of educators wanted to say thanks in the best way they could. They started a team and competed in the very popular Soo Sings for Kids competition. As Team Enchanté, the group of educators prepared to impress at the dance and song competition. Driven and passionate about the cause they chose to support, they expressed how important it was for them to win, both because they have seen firsthand the care the NICU provides and to ensure the best care is available in our community for all families that need it.
The team prepared and performed the show of the night and Team Enchanté won $5,000 to support equipment purchases in our local NICU! Their donation is supporting the purchase of essential equipment needed to nurture and care for the babies of Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District.
Although Team Enchanté may think what they did was simple, we know it is truly incredible acts like these that inspire a community and make a difference. They were not directly affected by the care at Sault Area Hospital. Their performance did not personally benefit any one of them. They selflessly planned, trained, and performed and their actions have helped ensure our healthcare professionals have the tools to deliver excellent care to the patients at Sault Area Hospital.
This means keeping patients in our community, close to the support of their family and the familiarity of home and easing the burden of seeking healthcare. We as a community should be proud that we do everything we can to keep our friends and local families close to home.
On behalf of all the babies that pass through the NICU at Sault Area Hospital, some for a few days and others for a few weeks, we want to thank everyone that took their time to dance, sing and inspire a community. A special thank you goes out to the coordinators of the event, all the supporters and spectators. You all are part of something truly amazing in Sault Ste. Marie. They sang and danced, because iCcare.
UPDATE: We asked Kassandra and Kade to come in to the Sault Area Hospital to launch our 2016 Tree of Hope campaign. Kassandra and her family were incredibly thankful to be able to spend their first Christmas at home with Kade and celebrate his first birthday.
They continued to share their story and thank those that made Kade's care so excellent. The extended their thank yous to the community. Your donations ensured our Hospital had the equipment needed to treat her and her son, as well as every family that is ever in a similar position.
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