When a clinical trial offers hope, financial barriers shouldn't stand in the way. For 12-year-old Nika and her family, participating in a potentially life-saving clinical trial at SickKids means more than appointments and medications; it means travel, unexpected expenses, and a new routine. In this episode, Nika’s mom, Amanda, shares what that journey has looked like, and how a new SickKids program is helping families like hers remove some barriers, so that they can focus on what matters most.

In middle school, Mason was struggling to get through the day without an accident. He has bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD), an extremely common condition. But Mason is part of the 1 per cent of kids who don't respond to any existing treatment. Until now. Hear how his SickKids team, an innovative program, and one tiny device strengthened the connection between his mind and body - and opened up his entire life.

Newborn mortality is one of the biggest challenges facing global child health. One SickKids scientist is determined to change that with an inexpensive kit that gives parents the tools they need to keep their newborn healthy and safe. Join us as we track the kit’s impact in northern Pakistan — and its potential to save children's lives around the world.

Despite advancements in treatment, leukemia survival rates have remained unchanged for years—until now. A groundbreaking clinical trial is transforming outcomes for children. Hear from the SickKids experts who led this game-changing breakthrough and the family whose journey was forever changed by it.

When Harper was four, she was surgically tethered to a machine the size of a dishwasher. It kept her alive as she waited for a heart transplant. But it meant her life was confined to a hospital indefinitely. A new study explores the complex emotions and impact for families surviving in limbo

An accident at the beach left 15-year-old Lauryn in extreme discomfort for years. Pain is one of the body’s most important signals for survival but sometimes signals in the brain can get crossed and the hurt continues long after an injury has healed. Hear from a team that’s re-wiring brains to put pain in its place.

Organ failure is a race against time. Even when a transplant is possible, plenty can still go wrong. But major advances are improving the odds and creating new outcomes for patients, as you’ll hear in this tale of two strangers — Brad and Regan, whose lives became forever intertwined.

(For bonus content or to advance similar research, please visit SickKidsFoundation.com/podcast. The SickKids VS Podcast is generously sponsored by CIBC and edited by Quill).

Many families rush to hospital emergency departments every day. Some don’t know why a child is sick. Some do. But they all share a common concern: how long will we have to wait? Hear how one emergency physician (who’s also a computer scientist) is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to address wait times so more patients and caregivers can see health-care experts sooner.

(To advance breakthrough research and care like this, please visit SickKidsFoundation.com/podcast. SickKids VS is generously sponsored by CIBC and edited by Quill.)

More children survive cancer than ever before. But the disease and the treatments take a toll. In adulthood, many survivors face serious or life-threatening effects stemming from their therapies. Dr. Paul Nathan works tirelessly to improve the lives of survivors, and he’s been collaborating with someone who has a unique perspective on how to take post-cancer care to a whole new level.

(To advance breakthrough research and care like this, please visit SickKidsFoundation.com/podcast. SickKids VS is generously sponsored by CIBC and edited by Quill.)

As a baby, Noel was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy. There are many types and causes, so to really help patients like him, it’s not enough to know they have the disorder — but rather why they have it. To find out, Noel’s family joined a groundbreaking global study to see what happens when you dig into the genome for answers.

(To advance breakthrough research and care like this, please visit SickKidsFoundation.com/podcast. SickKids VS is generously sponsored by CIBC and edited by Quill.)