Sasha Bella Walk for SickKids Family-Centred Care

A small family walk in the Cedarvale Ravine blossomed into the 1st Annual Sasha Bella Walk with over 100 participants, just before Sasha's birth date on June 6. Mom walked Sasha through Cedarvale almost every morning, hoping that the oxygen from the forest canopy would spur her tiny pulmonary collateral arteries to grow. The valley was lush green, the rain held off, the clouds kept the sun's heat hidden and cool breezes accompanied the sea of white T-shirts with Sasha's picture. No surprise that the first registrant at 9am sharp was Sasha's nurse Grace, soon joined by Lauren, Tessie, Riley and Julie. Family, friends, friends of family and friends of friends enjoyed the cool shady walk to the Bathurst Bridge and then back. The short walk was, as promised, short; perfect for the kids and many pregnant moms, some due any day. We then enjoyed snacktime of freezies and pringles as Terri and Oulina broke out the bongos and shakers and tambourines for a drumming circle that held back the rain.

We thank you all for your generosity and we appear to have doubled our modest goal of $3600 (have to get final numbers from SickKids Foundation for online support by those who could not join us). This was a learning experience for us in every way and Mom did such a good job. Permits and insurance. Invite emails with map, registration, pledge sheets. And of course supplier requests. Big thanks to Debbie Josephs at Kisko Products for freezies, Balloon Corporate Events for the pink balloons, Stanley Marcovici at Turnkey Corporation for the T garments and Peter Chaltas at Beaverbrook for discounted T printing.

At the end of a successful FUNdraiser, there is the lovely surprise of the stacks of little folded cheques and bills and pledge forms tucked into envelopes of all shapes and sizes that trace how friends spread the word to other friends, work colleagues etc. Meredith went around Toronto General Hospital's emergency and Sasha's nurses did the same at SickKids. Marni, Ryder and Jen, Granny Marcia, Mark and Lisa, Erika and Harvey, the Drego family all did a fantastic pledge job! Paul and Julie helped their daughter Micaela organize a bake sale and lemonade stand that raised $60 in quarters and loonies on a hot Saturday morning with a delicious assortment of frosted cookies and cupcakes and organic doggie biscuits [recipe and pictures coming soon] - way to go Micaela.