Thousands of runners and walkers laced up their sneakers on Sunday in support of Ottawa’s children’s hospital at the CHEO RBC Race for the Kids at Wesley Clover Parks. The event’s 10th edition was hosted by CTV’s Patricia Boal. Organizers say the race raised a total of $1,016,168.41 for pediatric care at CHEO. Steve Read with the CHEO Foundation said every dollar raised will go towards the hospital’s development project and its “Kids These Days” campaign, which supports pediatric medicine and research. There are three races for families and groups to get involved in: the 10K, 5K and 2K family run. Devinder Gill, regional president for RBC, said there are 45 teams at the event raising money, and more than 2,000 people have registered this year. “It is amazing,” she said. “The energy, the passion. Everybody’s cheering.” Among the crowd are members of the First Aylmer Scouts, who are taking part in the 2K fun run in support of two-year-old Cassidy McGuiness. “She’s a happy little child,” explained her great-grandmother Gail Merrikin, who carried a photo of Cassidy on a sign for the walk. Cassidy was born with a rare genetic condition called Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, explains the family, which causes her to grow too quickly. She also recently underwent treatment for cancer at CHEO and has successfully been declared cancer-free. “You wouldn’t know she’s suffering from this genetic condition and going through chemotherapy and hormone treatment,” said Merrikin. “That’s rough for a two-year-old. But her spirits are great.” Merrikin credits that with the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital. “If it wasn’t for CHEO, she wouldn’t be here,” says Merrikin. “Thank God we have CHEO.” Read says the money will help the redevelopment project, which aims to transform pediatric care and support kids with complex care needs. “The cornerstone of the crown jewel is the Integrated Treatment Center, which is just going to be a game changer for families that are right now taking them all over the city,” he said. “Having it all under one roof, connected to the hospital.” CHEO CEO Vera Etches said the community support is what she’s noticed the most. “It’s so clear that people value having access to specialized pediatric care in Ottawa, and people are there to support us,” said Etches. “The needs of children are growing, the complexity of care that needs to be provided. And this allows us to keep growing with the needs to transform to decrease our wait times.”
