Jim Pattison Children's Hospital. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

radio for healthcare

Province-wide radiothon for Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital

Nov 5, 2019 | 5:04 PM

Radio stations across the province are joining forces to help celebrate the opening of the first-ever dedicated children’s and maternal hospital in Saskatchewan this week.

The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group will be joined by Harvard Broadcasting, Missinippi Broadcasting Corporation and Saskatoon Media Group for a two-day radiothon Nov. 6 and 7, live from the main lobby of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised will support the families in the province who need specialized care close to home.

One of those families are the Webers from Regina. Jamie Weber’s son Brody was born with a heart defect that has required two surgeries so far. Her oldest son Caine was diagnosed with cancer this past summer.

“When you see your kid going into surgery and they’re looking back at you’re like ‘Where are they taking me? What are they doing with me?’ and you have no answer. You really just have to put your faith into the hospital staff and surgeons that everything is going to turn out ok. It’s a pretty hopeless feeling when that first happens,” Weber said.

The family had to travel to the children’s hospital in British Columbia for Brody’s surgeries and Weber said it was difficult leaving Caine at home and not having a support system there with them. She encouraged the public to donate to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.

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“Having a dedicated children’s hospital means still having access to the care we need in a hospital that’s really geared towards children and understands kids because kids are completely different than adults,” Weber said. “So, it’s good to have something close to home where if your family needs to come, they can be there. And, I know for other families I have spoken to, it means a lot just to have something in Saskatchewan.”

By combining the efforts of broadcasters across the province, the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation said they hoped to share more stories of local families like the Webers.

“We’ve got the building, but now we need the programs to run,” the Foundation’s Sash Broda told paNOW. “That’s so we can provide kids with things like pet therapy, music and art therapy, and all of those different programs that really help kids have a positive experience in the hospital.”

Broda said the numerous radio partners would allow many more people to learn how special the world class facility is.

Jim Pattison Broadcast Group radio hosts from Prince Albert (900 CKBI, Power 99, XFM) will be joined by their counterparts from Melfort (CJVR FM, 750 Beach Radio), North Battleford and Meadow Lake (1050 CJNB, Q98, 93.3 The Rock) for the radiothon. Donations can be made in advance of the broadcast online.

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow