Why Give

Donations make the difference.

Email To Friend Email To Friend Print Print
Font Size: Increase Font Size Decrease Font Size

Donations = Discoveries: Our Firsts


Curious Kids

The discoveries and innovations made at SickKids have had a profound impact on the lives of and well-being of millions of children and their families.

They have also dramatically affected how sick children are treated around the world.

 

Here are a few examples of SickKids successes made possible by donors.

1908 - SickKids installs the first milk pasteurization plant in Canada, 30 years before it becomes mandatory, dramatically decreasing infant mortality in Canada.

1930 - SickKids develops the fortified infant cereal "Pablum" significantly reducing death from malnutrition - the major cause of infant morality at the turn of the century.

1963 - SickKids performs the first widely successful surgery to correct transposition of the great arteries of the heart, the birth defect known as "Blue Babies". Before this procedure, this condition used to kill 9 out of 10 patients in their first year

1989 - SickKids discovers the gene which when defective causes cystic fibrosis - the most fatal genetic disease killing Canadian children today.

1994 - SickKids provides the first biological proof that second-hand smoke can affect a fetus.

2001 - SickKids discovers that infant heart transplants can be performed safely and successfully even when the blood types of the donor and recipient don't match.

2003 - SickKids compiles the complete DNA sequence of chromosome 7, the chromosome containing 1,455 genes, some of which when altered, cause diseases such as cystic fibrosis, leukemia, and autism.

2005 - SickKids is the first hospital in North America to replace a pulmonary valve without performing open-heart surgery. The innovative procedure will reduce multiple open-heart surgeries and long hospital stays for children with congenital heart defects.

2006 - SickKids researchers identify a protein that contributes to preeclampsia, a common problem during pregnancy. It can now be explored as a potential prognostic marker to identify the condition early in a pregnancy.