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$7,500 raised in memory of Baby Celia

On Thursday, December 3rd, Mike & Melissa Robinson presented a donation of $7,500 to a very special care team at Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH), to honour the memory of their baby girl, Celia Marie.  Celia passed away at GBGH on Christmas Day 2019 from an undiagnosed genetic immunodeficiency but her family is incredibly grateful for the exceptional care they received from their doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists.

“December 3^rd would have been Celia’s first birthday”, shares Melissa. “We wanted to do something special to celebrate her, and also wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to the amazing team at GBGH who tried so hard to save our baby girl.”

On October 18, Melissa shared the idea of a baking fundraiser, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to GBGH, on her personal Facebook page. The virtual bake sale gained traction quickly, with hundreds of individual orders placed in less than 4 weeks. Shortly after, her sister Laura joined the efforts, selling hand-made wooden ornaments through her own Facebook page, with 100% of the proceeds also being donated to the hospital.

From October 21^st to December 1^st, Melissa, and a few close family members, made more than 6,100 muffins, cookies, tea biscuits, banana breads and chocolate peanut butter balls.

“I had no idea that it would get this big,” says Melissa. “I’ve been baking 6 days a week since October to get all the orders filled.  We are so blown away by the support for our fundraiser, and so thankful that we can honour Celia in such an impactful way.”

The family wishes to extend their sincere gratitude to the care team at GBGH, including Dr. David Bayfield, RT Kayla LeClair, Dr. Amanda Murdoch, Dr. Rustam Rafikov, and Nurses Kim Eichenblat, Maggie Johnson, Allan Graham, Alicia Adams, Jess Elliott and Erica Lemieux.

#C02Monitors4GBGH raises $36,960 on GivingTuesday

From left: Jennifer Lalonde, Lindsay MacDonald, Becky Rawn and Theresa Hartley, Ambulatory Care Team, Georgian Bay General Hospital.

On Tuesday, December 1^st, the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation launched a GivingTuesday campaign to purchase 2 End Tidal C02 Monitors ($16,000 each).  Used during routine procedures – such as a colonoscopy – the monitors ensure patients are breathing properly during an anesthetic.

Thanks to more than 110 individual donors, and a matching gift of $10,000 from Nick & Marina Boudouris (owners of OPA Catering, the World Famous Dock Lunch, Pier 21 and operators of Restaurant Sainte-Marie), a total of $36,960 was raised in just 24 hours.

“We are humbled by the continued generosity of our community,” says Nicole Kraftscik, executive director, GBGH Foundation. “These monitors are so important for the peace of mind for our staff and patients, and we are grateful that so many people chose to positively impact local healthcare through this campaign.”

The current vital signs monitors at GBGH are great for most situations in the hospital, but the specialty End Tidal C02 Monitors provide an increased level of safety.  They alert the care team to any breathing complications so that they can intervene quickly.

“As a recent surgical patient, it struck me how important this would be for patient and family assurance while you or your loved one is ‘under’,” shares donor Elyse Rousseau. “I would want this level of assurance for myself, my family and anyone else who has to undergo a surgical procedure, so that is what inspired me to donate.”

While GivingTuesday is now over, those interested in supporting other critical needs at GBGH can make a gift to the GBGH Foundation holiday campaign.  More information can be found here: https://gbghf.ca/holiday/