A very special occasion took place at CHEO on Thursday, as students navigating complex medical challenges graduated from CHEO School. The specialized school offers a two-year kindergarten program that allows kids to attend class while receiving treatment at the children’s hospital. The experience of walking down the aisle was a moment the young grads have been waiting for. Six-year-old Cece was part of the excited group on Thursday. She lives with brittle bone disease, a rare condition that means her bones can break easily. “She worked a lot on her ability to stand and walk,” said Cece’s mom, Courteney Werner. “She had surgery about six weeks ago and she worked really, really hard on being able to walk in her walker for the length of a hallway.” Cece will join her peers in starting school within the community. “A very emotional time for any parent is to see their children kind of come to the end of an era, but just seeing her walk down was just such a bittersweet moment. I know that she’s achieved something monumental in just finishing,” said Luis Padilla Ramirez, Cece’s dad. The theme for the ceremony was ‘Under the Sea,’ with the students picking their own outfits and theme for their moment on the runway. “It’s something that means something to them so it could be a favourite colour, or it could be rainbows or unicorns,” said Mari Murray, the principal at CHEO School. Seventeen young students graduated after wrapping up two years of the specialized program. “This is a unique school in the east,” said Dr. Vera Etches, the president and CEO of CHEO. “I know that some families do travel quite far to be part of it and we have supports with others across the region with rehabilitation and therapy in schools as well.” Thursday was a day of pride, resilience, and inspiration for everything that the students have already accomplished. “Today is a true day of celebration to celebrate their achievements and accomplishments with their therapy program, but also to celebrate their accomplishments with their education and their academics,” said Murray.
