Our stories

Kassy’s journey and the changing face of obesity care

When Kassy was a toddler, her mother Nicole Cummins noticed something different. 

“She was always hungry,” Cummins recalled. “Food was the only thing that soothed her. I used to think it was my fault.”

For years, doctors told Nicole that Kassy would “grow into her size.” But the weight gain continued, along with chronic pain, learning difficulties, and a growing sense of isolation.

It wasn’t until Kassy was 13 that she was referred to CHEO’s Centre for Healthy Active Living (CHAL), a clinic that takes a...

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How CHEO’s INR program saved a teen’s eyesight

Camryn’s migraines were getting more painful and persistent. Then there was a constant whooshing sound in her ear. 

The 16-year-old has dealt with chronic migraines in the back of her head and upper neck for years, but this time the situation became critical. 

A series of visits to local emergency rooms and clinics in Belleville and Kingston quickly escalated into a medical mystery—one that would ultimately be solved thanks to the expertise and innovation of CHEO’s Interventional Neuroradiology (INR) team and a

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CHEO community nurse helps Jacob avoid hospital stay

When Gabrielle Simboli brought her newborn son Jacob home from the hospital, she knew their medical journey was just beginning. 

Jacob was born prematurely with multiple heart defects, lung disease, and feeding complications. He faced a daunting road ahead. 

At just three months old, he would undergo open-heart surgery to repair multiple ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and an atrial septal defect (ASD). But before that, he had to survive — and thrive — at home.

Living in Bourget, Ont., about a 40-minute...

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The power of a family’s contribution to research

Tamy Bell is learning how to live with grief. 

Her son, Griffin, died in March 2024 at the age of six from Neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system. It's also the second most common childhood cancer to leukemia.

Bell has tried to take her painful experience and use it to help others. One way, she says, is getting involved in childhood cancer research.

“I get to tell our story and talk about him. I get to keep his legacy alive,” said Bell.

Bell is part of the CHEO Research Institute’s Research Family Leader...

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Let's move: CHEO releases 1st-in-kind video series for kids with cancer

Physiotherapists at CHEO have created a bilingual video series as part of an education campaign that encourages children and youth to move while receiving chemotherapy to avoid long-term complications.

This groundbreaking eight-part video series — available in both English and French on YouTube — is the first of its kind tailored for children aged two to 18. It positions CHEO as a global leader in physiotherapy education, empowering families with expert, accessible guidance every step of the way.

In each video...

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