Our stories

Olympian and former CHEO patient cherishes role helping kids with diabetes

Every time Hannah Schmidt steps into her skis, the Canadian Olympian readies to compete against the world’s best in women’s ski cross with a little more weighing on her mind.

Schmidt, an Ottawa native, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12, and received care at CHEO for six years.

Now 30, she must prepare for each competition with a brighter spotlight on her diet — and that’s become a good thing.

"It's made me a better athlete in the long run," said Schmidt.

As a teenager, though, the stigma of her...

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CHEO readies for construction of Integrated Treatment Centre

After years of planning and hard work, CHEO has reached a significant milestone by finalizing the design for the new Integrated Treatment Centre on its Smyth Road campus as shovels enter the ground spring 2025.

The treatment centre, which will be built in front of the main CHEO building, will significantly enhance care and coordination while improving access to services for children and youth living with complex medical, developmental, behavioural, and mental health needs. 

This state-of-the-art, six-storey,

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Specialized CHEO clinic enhances care and support for families

CHEO has launched a specialized weekly community clinic that brings care and support closer to neurodiverse children and youth, and their families.

Hunter Nicholas, 13, lives with autism and has an extreme needle phobia. That means getting his annual vaccines has been traumatic.

His mom, Ananda, wanted a better solution, and she found it at a weekly clinic run by CHEO's Extensive Needs Service (ENS) in partnership with family physician,Dr. Nicole Shadbolt.

The clinic’s collaborative format provided more support, tools and...

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Celebrating 15 years of excellence: CHEO’s Complex Care team

Children and youth who are medically complex, fragile, and technology dependent are the one-percenters, visiting the hospital potentially dozens of times a year, which can leave some parents and caregivers feeling overwhelmed, wading through an equally complex health-care system.

That is why CHEO's Outpatient Complex Care program serves such a valuable and impactful role, creating one cohesive team of decision-makers — including CHEO clinicians, local community organizations and families — that focuses on proactive and preventative...

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ENS care transforms complex CHEO surgery experience

The Extensive Needs Service (ENS) program at CHEO continues to meet the evolving needs of patients, working to transform challenging medical experiences.

Through ENS, individualized and vital wrap-around support has been provided to more than1,400 children and their families. The program is run by three children’s hospitals in Ontario: CHEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and McMaster Children’s Hospital.

That support was essential for Kennedy McVey, who has Prader–Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic...

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