‘It felt like we were family’: Stories from the hallways of SickKids as Toronto hospital marks 150 years

The Hospital for Sick Children first opened on April 3, 1875, when Maggie, a three-year-old, was treated for a scalded arm.

Maggie was the first ever SickKids’ patient.

The hospital, which had only six iron cots at the time, has now become a world-renowned hospital for pediatric care.

This year, SickKids marks 150 years of helping and healing families across Canada and the world.

First opened in Toronto by Elizabeth McMaster, who wanted to find a way to prevent the death of children, the hospital has contributed to many other historical moments, including establishing the Nutritional Research Laboratory and opening one of the first intensive care units in North America exclusively for critically ill newborn and premature babies in 1968.

McMaster, along with a group of like-minded women, opened the hospital on a rented property “for the admission and treatment of all sick children,” regardless of their financial condition, SickKids said on its website.

This month, CTV News Toronto spoke to people who shared fond memories of the care they received at the hospital.

‘Treated us like equals’

Shortly after Andrea Goodwin’s son Nolan was born in May 2009 he started to show some symptoms of congenital heart defect. The local hospital where he was born referred them to SickKids.

SickKids staff sprung into action as soon as the symptoms started presenting, Goodwin told CTV News.

“They were caring and compassionate while being very professional and knowledgeable,” she said. “We never second- guessed that they would do everything necessary to help our son and our family.”

The first day their son spent a night at the hospital, staff offered Goodwin a bed so that she could be with her son through the night, despite all the visitor accommodations being full.

“They walked us through every step and made sure we understood and felt comfortable with the measures they were taking,” she said. “They really treated us like equals, and it felt like we were family, all working together to make the best decisions.”

‘A happy face’

Catherine Nunes was 15 years old when she was crossing an intersection on her way for a swim. A truck came down the road and knocked her over, shattering her femur.

The ambulance took her to SickKids, where an orthopedic surgeon was able to insert a metal pin into her leg to hold the femur in place. She was put in a below-the-waist cast.

She said an ambulance would come to take her for her regular check-ups since she couldn’t bend at the waist or fit in a car. Nunes would be left on a stretcher in the hospital hallway as she waited for her turn.

The doctors that passed by would regularly check in on her, she said.

“They see a teenager who’s distraught, who doesn’t really know what’s going on. And they were always very kind, very open, always talking,” Nunes told CTV News. “I wasn’t left alone not knowing what was going on.”

She recalls one doctor who happened to be on shift every time she had an appointment who would walk by and stop to draw a happy face on her exposed toe.

“It wasn’t a happy situation, but it did put a smile on my face. And I think that bit of human kindness went a long way and it’s something that I’ll always remember about my time there,” Nunes says.

‘Extended family’

Diane Davison, an 81-year-old retired nurse from Toronto recounted her days of working at SickKids when she was young.

Davison’s involvement with the hospital started when her cousin was diagnosed and treated at SickKids when she was just 18 years old. She decided to pursue nursing when she witnessed her cousin’s illness and the impact the staff had on her.

“We were there working over Christmas. (They were) wonderful, wonderful times, because we didn’t always go back home to wherever we were living,” she told CTV News. “We got quite involved with the patients at holidays. It was a big part of your life at that time.”

Many of the children that came to the hospital did not have family visiting because they came from all over Canada, and travelling was difficult, Davison said.

They did surgery on children’s hips and hearts and more, who would have to stay under medical supervision for months. When their families couldn’t visit them, the staff at the hospital would get involved with their care even after they were off the clock.

“They had never been to Toronto. They were missing their families,” she said.

“So many of the stories that I had entwined with these children, our patients, were also entwined with (nurses) that I met, all brand-new relationships and friendships.”

After they finished their shifts, the nurses would go and visit the children in their rooms. They would take the ones who could be moved on strolls around the block for fresh air and arrange for games to play and read books to the ones who couldn’t, Davison said.

“Some of them were confined to the hospital, but there were little recreation places and things you could take them back down to and enjoy and be responsible for them,” she says.

“We became like an extended family to some of these children.”

‘We had full confidence’

Yogesh Garg’s young daughter started waking up with puffy, swollen eyes every morning during the pandemic. However, the swelling would reside after around 40 minutes.

Physicians they met only saw her from a distance and sent her home saying everything looked normal.

In November 2020, Garg took his daughter to a specialist in Etobicoke who urgently referred them to SickKids, where his daughter was immediately diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome.

His daughter was administered 20 pills a day, and they had to do urine tests every four to six weeks.

“They were informing us about the visits, and explaining everything in detail,” Garg told CTV News.

He recalled a nurse named Josie who would follow up with them every week and see how his daughter was doing.

“To be honest when we went there in the beginning, we were scared. We were not aware about this disease. But once she got the treatment, we had full confidence,” he said.

“We did not worry about (anything) at all.”