Children's Miracle Network campaign launched with a bang.
Nine-year-old Micaela Egan and her parents smash open a piggy bank on Dec. 8 in Barrhaven to launch a fundraising campaign that will benefit CHEO.
Nevil Hunt
Plenty of nine-year-olds want to be a nurse when they grow up. But Micaela Egan has seen nurses at work for more than half her life, so it made the decision that much easier.
Micaela was four when she was diagnosed with leukemia and her care at CHEO began right away.
Two-and-a-half years of treatment have left her a healthy nine-year-old who likes to swim, bike and play with her friends.
Micaela’s also healthy enough to wield a hammer, and on Dec. 8, she launched the Children’s Miracle Network campaign at TD Canada Trust on Strandherd Drive. Micaela and her parents smashed open a large piggy bank to start the season’s fundraising. The $1,000 in toonies inside was donated to the campaign.
Children’s Miracle Network funds in eastern Ontario are directed to CHEO, a hospital Micaela knows all too well.
“It was a very difficult time for us,” said Melissa Egan about her daughter’s diagnosis and treatment, which included needles, surgeries and chemotherapy sessions. “We received so much support from CHEO and still do now.”
Micaela’s father, Brandon Egan, is a financial adviser at the bank, and said CHEO’s focus on Micaela meant the family “didn’t have to worry about anything else.”
“They still know her by name,” he said of the staff at CHEO, who see Micaela every three months for checkups.
Since 1996, TD Canada Trust and the bank’s customers have donated a combined $42 million to the Children’s Miracle Network. Customers who donate through automatic monthly donations have their funds matched by TD Canada Trust, up to $1 million annually.
“TD encourages charitable giving as part of Canadians’ monthly budget,” said branch manager Doug Sherrington. “The Children’s Miracle Network is a reminder of the importance of giving.”
For information on this year’s Children’s Miracle Network campaign, visit childrensmiraclenetwork.ca