Saskatoon couple donates $250,000 to Pattison Children’s Hospital

Jun 22, 2018 | 6:00 PM

A Saskatoon couple celebrated their twin grandchildren’s good health by making a sizable donation to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.

Wayne and Debra Grund’s twin grandchildren Abigail and Grace were born six weeks prematurely and shared an umbilical cord, a rarity among twin pregnancies. Debra said the situation was a difficult one for the family, as they frequently had to travel for medical appointments in addition to the stress of the girls’ health concerns.

“There was a chance of one baby disrupting the other’s life support,” Debra said in a statement. “Because it was such a rare case, there were more frequent check-ins with the specialist. The best thing we could do was support each other and pray.”

The twins pulled through, and recently celebrated their first birthday. To celebrate their granddaughters’ health and help ensure other Saskatchewan children have access to the best care, the couple announced a donation of $250,000 to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.

According to the foundation, the funds will be used for a twin room in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, to allow families to be together while their children receive care.

“After the birth of our twin grandchildren, Abigail and Grace, it became clear that our contribution needed to help give the amazing medical staff in the [neonatal intensive care unit] a leading-edge facility, and give families an environment that is uplifting,” Wayne said.

“We have always known in our hearts that this is a cause we care deeply about.”

The 48-bed neonatal intensive care unit will be located at the top floor of the children’s hospital, the foundation said in a statement, and will include five twin rooms. The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital is currently under construction in Saskatoon and is now 87 per cent complete. The hospital is slated to open in 2019.

 

Editor’s Note: paNOW is part of the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, which is owned by hospital benefactor Jim Pattison.

panews@jpbg.ca

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