What makes a champion? The Champion Child program sees kids becomes champions overcoming medical problems while advocating for improving healthcare for kids across the country. The 2020 Champion Child, 13-year old Torrie Schaffer from Balcarras, is using her time as a champion to help people learn a bit more about her rare blood disease. She was at the Yorkton Wal Mart location to talk about what being a Champion means to her. The program will see her become an ambassador for the Children鈥檚 Miracle Network and the Jim Pattison Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation.
When she was nine, Schaffer noticed some strange things happening. She had small dots on her body that they thought was a rash. She was bruising easily, and they didn鈥檛 know why, even the most gentle touch would cause a bruise. She was admitted to the hospital in Regina with a low platelet count, and soon had no platelet count at all.
She was diagnosed with Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) Autoimmune Blood Disease. Without treatment, that disease could have been fatal. There is a treatment which could save her life, but it requires special equipment. The Jim Pattison鈥檚 Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation had just purchased that equipmen - a Pheresis machine - six months earlier, and Schaffer was the first kid in Saskatchewan to be treated with it.
Schaffer鈥檚 treatment is ongoing, and she visits a pediatric hematologist every two to three months at the Jim Pattison Children鈥檚 Hospital.
Schaffer wants people to know more about the disease, and more about what it means to people like her.
鈥淚t is rare, and it鈥檚 not out there like cancer and stuff is. You don鈥檛 find my disease in a lot of people, especially kids. It鈥檚 very rare in kids, so I feel it鈥檚 important to get it out there. I want more people to know about it. They can donate more, and know that there are kids that need stuff in hospital.鈥�
One of the benefits of the Champion program will see Schaffer and the other kids selected travel to Orlando, Fl to meet and talk about their experiences and challenges.
Sash Broda, manager, development and engagement for Jim Pattison Children鈥檚 Hospital, said that they select the ambassador as someone who has had a great deal of experience with the hospital making a difference for them, as well as the ability to advocate for their own diseases.
鈥淭here are so many different cases of different conditions and different diseases that so many people have, that kids have, that a lot of people don鈥檛 know about. To be able to shed some light on those, raise awareness in all those different aspects and to show that we can take care of those kids in Saskatchewan as well is really huge.鈥�
