CORNWALL, Ontario – A Long Sault woman and her daughter know first-hand what life is like when you have to lean on doctors for help.
Heidi Roy (Van De Glind) is organizing a fundraiser later this month to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, specifically a cardio pulmonary bypass machine to replace an aged piece of equipment that helps young ones breathe and circulate blood while their heart is operated on.
Roy and her daughter Aliya have benefitted from the machine and the doctors who used it for the little girl who was born with a congenital heart defect.
She has undergone multiple heart surgeries to correct what is known as a transposition of the great vessels, where the two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart – the aorta and the pulmonary artery – are reversed.
Roy is quick to point out that the fundraiser is not for her daughter, and creating awareness around heart defects is likewise not a way to shine a spotlight on her family.
“She’s just one example for this fundraiser,” said Roy. “She’s not THE reason.”
The South Stormont Community Fundraiser for CHEO takes place May 30. A slew of activities are planned, including the South Stormont Amazing Race (9 a.m. to noon), a softball tournament (11 a.m.) and children’s activities at the South Stormont Arena (1 to 4 p.m.).
All the details on the fundraiser can be found on a Facebook page created for the event.
“CHEO was absolutely incredible for us,” said Roy. “Not only the medical staff, but all the people. We never had an issue.”
