I’m Gonna Break my Rusty Cage and Roll

 Last week, I left off when I was approached by upper management at the Children’s Hospital Of Eastern Ontario about moving out. I was seventeen at the time and was aging out of the system. CHEO gave me two options: I could either live in a group home or a

Ottawa’s Ronald McDonald House is About to Get Bigger

 Sadly, children are not immune to life-threatening illnesses requiring medical treatments. Often their conditions require hospitalization that forces families to travel long distances within Ontario. Cornwall might not seem far in the summer months, but once winter arrives, it can feel like a world away. Now, imagine if you had

We’re different, but yet, we’re the same

 First of all, I want to thank you for the kind words and the congrats. For those who haven’t read last week’s article, I talked about leaving the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario 28 years ago after living there for 19 years. Throughout those 19 years, I moved around several

Bill please! Canada’s kids need the government’s support before costs grow

 Op-ed by Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO, the national capital’s pediatric health centre. If you have ever watched the hit TV series “Mad Men,” one thing you will remember is that everybody smoked. Everyone. Everywhere. It was a great show, in part, because it was like a trip

How diabetes hurts all Canadians and what you can do about it

 By: Kimberley Hanson, Executive Director, Federal Affairs, Diabetes Canada  One January night in 2018, Sheila Malcolmson lived every parent’s fear: she found her 4-year-old daughter barely conscious and rushed her to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Emma was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – an incurable autoimmune disease that would

Festive Family Fundraising Shines Bright For the McGregors

 Welcome to Day 11 of our 25 Day Ottawa Life Christmas Calendar.  We’ll be updating with a new treat daily so be sure to keep checking under the OLM Tree to see what’s new. And don’t forget our big Light Up Your Ottawa Life Contest! Every holiday season the little town of

Turkish Canadian Community Raises Money for CHEO

 On Saturday April 23, distinguished guests gathered to celebrate Turkish National Sovereignty and International Children’s day at a fundraising gala organized by the Council of Turkish Canadians (CTC), the proceeds of which were donated to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). The CTC has been organizing this commemorative event

Media Coverage of Youth Suicide Linked to Increased Emergency Room Visits for Mental Health Distress

 Outreach efforts following high profile suicides can save lives In the last few years, two high profile youth suicides in the Ottawa region garnered tremendous media attention and, as a new study suggests, resulted in increased emergency room visits by youth for mental health distress. First was the suicide of