Kurling for Kids kicked off its annual fundraising campaign Thursday night at Ste. Justine’s hospital.
For the next few months, organizers will encourage teams to sign up for the one-day curling tournament held in the spring.
Kurling for Kids is the creation of Robert Sears. Back in 1996, Sears’ daughter Jessica had life-saving brain surgery at the hospital.
The family was so grateful they decided they had to give back to the institution.
“When you’re a parent and you have a sick child, you would do anything to change places with them, but you can’t do that, so we do what’s best and what’s best is to help raise money for other families going through the same thing,” Sears told Global News Thursday.
Sears had hoped to raise $500 that first year. They ended up making $7,000.
Over the last 18 years, the tournament has donated $2.5 million for both the Montreal Children’s hospital and Ste. Justine’s hospital.
Jessica doesn’t remember the surgery or her time at the hospital, she was two years old at the time. She is proud that her father took one of their family’s most difficult moments and turned it into hope for others.
“To think that other families are going through the same thing and that we can help is an amazing thought, it’s why we keep pushing year after year,” Sears said.
The organization is supported by 700 volunteers from across the island. Curling clubs from Baie D’Urfe to Sorel-Tracey take part in the event.
This year, the money will go to buy ventilators for the Montreal Children’s hospital. There is also a four-year promise to fund a $600,000 pediatric neurological laser for Ste. Jusinte’s.
The laser is already being used to treat patients and is a rare piece of equipment in Canada.
Dr. Alexander Weil is the only doctor in Quebec trained to use it. He calls it a “game changer” for pediatric surgery.
“What this technology allows us to do is through a small 4mm incision without even shaving the head we are able to insert a laser and put it inside the lesion and we are able to treat it, while we see it in real time,” Weil explained.
Weil operated on an 11-year-old patient with epilepsy in November using the laser. The boy was able to leave the hospital days later.
“Its minimally invasive and safer,” says Weil.
Kurling for Kids will hold its annual tournament on April 1.