Twelve-year-old Saskatoon boy Blake Wheeler has been selected as the 2019 Saskatchewan ambassador for the Champions Program with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The program honours children who have persevered through several medical challenges.
Blake and his fraternal twin brother, Noah, were born three months early with several complications.
Moments after birth, the twins were rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Doctors detected heart murmurs in both babies, which led to heart surgery. Despite the surgery, Noah died.
Blake spent his first four months fighting for his life, with the support of ventilators, feeding tubes, and IV lines.
As this year’s Champions Child, Blake will represent sick and injured Saskatchewan children at events across the country.
“I like sharing my story because I can be a voice for other kids who don’t always have a voice,” Blake said.
Blake also shared his excitement with the province’s first children hospital nearing completion.
“There are kids in our province who need a children’s hospital and it’s important to support them.”
Saskatchewan’s head of pediatrics, Dr. Laurentiu Givelichian, took care of Blake in hospital as a baby.
He said he’s “very proud” to be able to watch Blake grow over the years.
“You can imagine it’s very rewarding, it’s humbling,” he said.
“Blake’s compelling story is an example of why it’s important to support our province’s smallest patients,” said Sash Broda, Manager of Development and Engagement at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Blake takes over from last year’s ambassador, Payton Sernick of Estevan.
