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Grieving family fundraising to bring bravery beads to NEO Kids

Following the Sick Kids model, kids will receive a bead for every medical procedure

Little Killian Waddell was born Sept. 4, 2018 with a heart condition that meant he needed to undergo a heart transplant.

But he never ended up receiving the transplant, as he sadly died Oct. 15, 2018, at a little over a month old. He lived his entire young life at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital.

Children at Sick Kids receive a “bravery bead” strung on a necklace each time they undergo a procedure — whether it's a routine procedure such as bloodwork or major surgery.

Although Killian's life was short, he accumulated two strings of bravery beads. It's a memento treasured by his parents, Dean and Sheri Waddell, and older brothers Ryker and Malick.

In Killian's memory, the Waddell family has been fundraising through the NEO Kids Foundation to bring the bravery bead program to the NEO Kids & Family Program at Health Sciences North.

They've already raised $6,000 for the program, but are hoping to bring in a total of $10,000. 

Once the fundraising goal has been met, the bravery bead program will launch in the NEO Kids Ambulatory Care Unit, NEO Kids Children's Treatment Centre and Pediatric Oncology.

The bravery beads program will follow the Sick Kids model, with patients receiving the same kinds of beads for the same type of procedures at both hospitals.

“I hope that this can just honour him, who he was, and just bring something good to other people,” said Sheri.

She said being a parent of a sick child can be really scary — parents' job is to protect their kids, but when they're sick, they can't do that.

“I think that this gives us something to do — something to feel involved,” Sheri said.

“Also it helps you learn the names of everything that's being done. You start to be involved in their care because you start to understand … 

“A lot of times the tests and everything are so specific to the child's illness that you start to learn what they are because you have the names, and you're being part of it and you're involved in all of that. I think that's all really helpful.”

While Killian's bravery beads are now a memorial item for his family, that's fortunately not the case for most kids. 

"For the kids, it's a tangible thing to show what they're going through," Sheri said, adding she's heard of adults who were treated at Sick Kids as children keeping their beads as a reminder of that time in their lives.

Shanna Crispo, interim executive director of the NEO Kids Foundation, said she's excited to implement the bravery bead program here.

“Sheri was phenomenal,” she said. “She came to us almost a year ago now, probably in November, and shared her story with us, talked about her passion toward this program.

“It was something that was on the minds of the NEO Kids & Family Program, and tying it back to creating a healthy child-friendly environment. 

“So it kind of just matched perfectly with what we do at NEO Kids Foundation and what Health Sciences North is striving for with pediatric care as well.”

While the Waddell family is still mourning Killian's loss, they do have some exciting news to share.

Sheri is expecting another child in May. He or she will be a “rainbow baby” — a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss. 

The family's decision to have another child was made cautiously after learning there was no genetic link that caused Killian's heart condition.

You can learn more about the Waddells' story on the Facebook page Killian's Courage, where Sheri has been blogging about her baby's life and grieving his loss.

If you wish to donate to the bravery bead program, you can do so through the NEO Kids Foundation's website or phone 705-523-7100, ext. 1234.


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