Guest: Tom Vernon-Global News Edmonton

J'lyn announces the grand total from the Stollery Radiothon. 

At just five-weeks-old, Ryland was diagnosed with aqueductal stenosis, a narrowing of the aqueduct of sylvius which blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricular system.

Ryland depends on a shunt to stay alive. The shunt is located in his head with a tube attached that runs down his neck and into his belly, allowing Ryland’s body to reabsorb his brain matter.

Over the first two years of his life, Ryland’s shunt kept failing, causing him and his family countless trips to the emergency room. They tried a variety of shunts and procedures before landing on what’s known as the VP shunt which he uses today. Unfortunately, during one of Ryland’s shunt revision operations, he experienced a brain bleed which caused weakness to the entire left side of his body.

The procedures have also led to scar tissue damage in his head causing him to have long seizures that only stop with medication – his longest lasting 45 minutes.

Kaden is the Stollery’s 2020 Champion.

At nine-years-old, Kaden was enjoying a long weekend at the lake with his family.  He stopped to fuel up his quad before taking it out for the day, when suddenly it burst on fire and engulfed him in flames.

Kaden was airlifted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital where he spent four months receiving treatment, including several grafting surgeries for the burns that covered 70 per cent of his body from the neck down.

He and his mother, Kristi-Lee, join J’lyn to talk about his journey to this point, two years after his life changed forever.

At eight weeks old, Dillan had to have 10 centimetres of his large intestine removed after he was diagnosed with hirschprungs disease, a disorder that affects the large intestine of newborns, babies and toddlers. It prevents bowel movements to pass through the intestines due to missing nerve cells in the lower part of the colon.

Sophie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to a stroke she suffered at 20 weeks gestation. Since it was so early in the pregnancy, Sophie’s brain was able to repair itself. She is currently missing about half of the right side of her brain.