Kiera Davlut brought awareness to the young patients in the Children's Hospital by being an ambassador and raising over $17,000.

This morning it was announced that the HSC Children's Hospital's Champion Child, Kiera Davlut originally set the goal of fundraising $10,000 to support sick and injured kids, however, she surpassed that goal and raised $17,117.44.

Davlut was born with craniosynostosis, which is a disorder where the skull plates fused too early and now there is not enough space for the brain to fully develop. 

Because of this condition, she had her first surgery at nine months old and many more followed after that to open the fusion and support the shaping of her skull as she continues to grow.

The now 12-year-old suffers from vision impairment due to the disorder but is happy and healthy.

"When I’ve been helped at Children’s Hospital through surgeries and specialists, I also always felt safe and happy because the Child Life program was there for me with fun things to do," says Davlut. "I want to help other kids who need to be in the hospital to have that great support from Child Life Specialists and enjoy things like music therapy and CHTV."

Over the past year, Davlut has shared her story at more than 40 events and spoken on behalf of 130,000 other children who find themselves at the Children's Hospital each year. Along with touching on the amazing work and research being done in Manitoba and the #GiveBetterFutures campaign at the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

Davlut presented a cheque for $17,117.44 to the Child Life team to assist the specialists in further supporting patients' needs and conditions as medical situations arise.

The money goes towards the funding of special activities to ensure that kids can still be kids, even if they are in the hospital.

"Keira is making a difference for kids and their families by supporting the Child Life program," says Dr. Patricia Birk, Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at HSC Children’s. "These programs help distract kids from the tough times, give them an outlet and provide comfort while in hospital."

"Keira is my hero," says Stefano Grande, President & CEO of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. "Her courage in speaking to thousands of people and sharing her story in support of healthcare is tremendous, and from the bottom of our hearts we want to thank her for everything she has done over the past year as our Champion Child."

The 2023 Champion Child will be announced on the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba social media on February 17.

A BLUE BACKGROUND WITH YELLOW LETTERS - GOT GOOD NEWS? SEND US YOUR GOOD NEWS TIPS AT DJ@CHVNRADIO.COM