Corus Radiothon raising funds for Children’s Hospital

Stories of hope and perseverance are being shared Thursday for the annual Corus Radiothon.

The event is underway at the Children’s Hospital in London with AM980, FM96, Country 104 and 103.1 Fresh Radio broadcasting live from the atrium.

Money raised goes to the Children’s Health Foundation at the London Health Sciences Centre.

Andie, 9, has benefited from the services and care at Children’s Hospital for most of her young life. At just nine weeks old, she was diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA), a rare bone marrow defect that does not allow her body to create red blood cells.

“My mom and dad took me in because they thought I had the flu but they had to bring me in to surgery and then critical care and all of that other stuff, and we found out I had to have my first blood transfusion,” said Andie.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My mom and dad took me in because they thought I had the flu but they had to bring me in to surgery and then critical care and all of that other stuff, and we found out I had to have my first blood transfusion," said Andie.

Andie’s mother Jenn admits it was an emotional and overwhelming experience.

“She was nine weeks old, had a hemoglobin of 22,” said Jenn. “A normal hemoglobin for that age is 130 to 140 so they were surprised she was alive, let alone kicking off the nurses because she didn’t want an IV, so we were really lucky that her body held on. If we had waited until Monday morning to take her to our doctor, we would have lost her.”

Andie visits Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre every three weeks for blood transfusions and treatments.

“It could have been a lot more difficult if we didn’t have this facility,” said Jenn. “Having the Children’s Hospital here in London is such a blessing for us to have this amazing organization in our backyard, so to speak. They become like family, they really are our hospital family. Andie has always called it her second home, since the time she was three years old. She’s here every three weeks at least, so these people have watched her learn how to sit, learn how to crawl, learn how to walk, learn how to talk, learn how to talk back. All these journeys that we’ve been through, they’ve been through with us and they have supported us through it, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Andie and Jenn also started their own fundraiser with the Children’s Health Foundation. “Andie’s Fight for a Cure Golf Tournament” raises money for DBA Canada, which goes towards research for a cure, as well as the Children’s Health Foundation.

Andie has a message for any children or families who find themselves needing the services of the Children’s Hospital.

“If you come to the hospital, don’t fear it,” she said. “They won’t harm you, they’ll help you.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If you come to the hospital, don't fear it," she said. "They won't harm you, they'll help you."

Jenn said all donations, no matter how small, go a long way.

“You make a difference, you don’t realize it but you make a difference,” she said. “You are helping people that you may never meet, but I can tell you from experience that you make all the difference in the world.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You make a difference, you don't realize it but you make a difference," she said. "You are helping people that you may never meet, but I can tell you from experience that you make all the difference in the world."

Rebecca Milec, Communication Associate at Children’s Health Foundation, said awareness is also key to the radiothon.

“We have some incredible kids that walk through these doors every day and people just think that it won’t happen to them or they really don’t understand it until they have an experience with it, so it’s really important to have these families share what they go through every single day so that the community can understand how important donations are to making those experiences better for those kids,” said Milec.

AM980 will be live from Children’s Hospital on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Officials will reveal the final fundraising tally at 6 p.m.

If you would like to donate, call 1-844-550-KIDS or text RADIO to 45678.