Saanich girl with life-threatening condition donates thousands of dollars worth of toys to hospital
If you ask Jamie-Lynn Frommelt what she wants to be when she grows up, the seven-year-old will answer with a smile.
“I want to be a cat-walker,” she’ll say. “A person that goes around walking cats.”
Jamie-Lynn is hoping to care for 100 cats at a time.
“Some people need a break from cats,” Jamie-Lynn explains. “Because they can scratch up a lot of things.”
Jamie-Lynn is appreciating this break from being poked with a lot of IV needles.
“It feels not good,” she says with a grimace.
Over the past two years, Jamie-Lynn has been treated in hospital 15 times for a potentially a life-threatening liver disease.
“She should not have to go through everything she’s gone through,” Amanda Frommelt says, fighting back tears.
Amanda says her daughter has to endure an invasive procedure to stop internal bleeding every six to eight weeks, with no end in sight.
“But she goes through it all with a smile,” Amanda says.
And she’s grateful that the Victoria General Hospital’s child fife specialist, Diane Edwards, strives to make the experience more manageable by delivering something to distract from the discomfort.
“All I had to provide to [Jamie-Lynn] at that time were colouring crayons,” Diane says. “Sometimes our donations are bare and we have very little to provide.”
When Diane left Jamie-Lynn’s hospital room that day, the girl turned to her mom and made a declaration: “Mom! We got to buy them more toys!” Amanda recalls her daughter saying.
After Jamie-Lynn was released from the hospital, she started fundraising. After receiving almost $2,600 worth of donations from friends, family and local businesses, the girl bought toys for children of all ages, and delivered them to the hospital.
“They came with boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff,” Diane smiles. “It was phenomenal.”
Jamie-Lynn helped Diane fill the hospital’s bare toy cupboard with toys that could be played with one hand, because the girl knew how it felt to have the other hand attached to an IV needle.
“She didn’t just think it, she did it,” Diane praises Jamie-Lynn. “I think that’s pretty remarkable for a seven-year-old who had years of medical interventions.”
It felt so good being so kind, Jamie-Lynn is planning another fundraiser so the hospital's toy cupboard won’t be bare for Christmas.
“She just used her big beautiful heart to make this happen,” Amanda says. “And I couldn’t be more proud to be her mom.”
And Jamie-Lynn couldn’t be more hopeful that her spreading kindness will be contagious.
“If you spread [kindness] to some people, they will spread it to more people,” Jamie-Lynn smiles. “And then it will be a world of kind.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

PM pans Poilievre for 'pulling stunts' by threatening to delay MPs' holidays with House tactics
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to delay MPs' holidays by throwing up thousands of procedural motions seeking to block Liberal legislation until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs off his carbon tax. It's a move Government House Leader Karina Gould was quick to condemn, warning the Official Opposition leader's 'temper tantrum' tactics will impact Canadians.
Las Vegas sheriff says at least 3 victims in university campus shootings, though conditions unknown
A person opened fire Wednesday on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, and at least three victims were taken to hospitals, according to police who reported the shooter was found dead.
'I'm so broken': Grieving family speaks out after B.C. cancer patient awaiting treatment chooses MAID
A devastated family says long waits for cancer treatment led a beloved father and grandfather to choose medically assisted death 13 days ago.
BREAKING Public sector negotiations: Common Front rejects Quebec's latest offer
Quebec's Common Front of public sector unions has rejected the government's latest offer. The strike planned for Dec. 8 to 14 will go on as planned.
opinion Don Martin: Greg Fergus risks becoming the shortest serving Speaker in our history
House Speaker Greg Fergus could face a parliamentary committee inquisition where his fate might hang on a few supportive NDP votes. But political columnist Don Martin says this NDP support might be shaky, given how one possible replacement is herself a New Democrat.
No first-ballot winner as Assembly of First Nations seeks its next national chief
The Assembly of First Nations is headed into a second round of voting to choose a new national chief, after the first ballot did not put any of the six candidates over the 60 per cent threshold to win.
Accused of improper partisan conduct, MPs expected to vote for probe into Speaker Fergus
Members of Parliament appear poised to pass a Conservative motion calling for an expedited probe into House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus' conduct after days of acrimony in Ottawa over what he says was unintentional participation in a partisan event.
Lawsuit accuses Sean Combs, 2 others of raping 17-year-old girl in 2003; Combs denies allegations
A woman sued the hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs on Wednesday, claiming he and two other men raped her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17.
Director behind bold and controversial TV comedies has died
Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with 'All in the Family' and 'Maude,' propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.