Miracle Treat Day raising funds to improve Children’s Hospital cardiac unit

In the midst of a heat wave, what better way to cool down than with a frozen treat?

Canadians are encouraged to take part in the Dairy Queen Miracle Treat day Aug. 9. The 16th annual event supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the country.

In Manitoba, proceeds from Blizzards purchased will go towards the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, said interim president and CEO Gary Rozak.

“Over the years, we’ve raised approximately $1.4 million,” Rozak said, “all staying in Manitoba.”

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The Children’s Hospital of Manitoba helps more than 120,000 children every year from across Manitoba, Nunavut and parts of Northwestern Ontario. Rozak said roughly 40% of the hospital’s patients come from rural areas.

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In the past, Miracle Treat Day has helped various units across the hospital. This year, Rozak said the focus is on expanding the capacity of it’s cardiac unit.

Dr. Reeni Soni, head of Pediatric Cardiology, said the existing Variety Children’s Heart Centre was built almost 30 years ago when the clinic was seeing less than 2,000 patients a year.

“Now we see almost 6,000 patients per year so we’ve really outgrown our existing space,” Soni said.

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“The money from this initiative is going towards building us a brand new facility that’s going to be larger, more purpose-built so that it can serve the needs of our patients a lot more effectively.”