Manitoba's first-ever Champion Child from a remote First Nation
For the first time ever, the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has selected a Champion Child from a remote northern community.
Janessa Dumas Colomb is a 15-year-old from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Pukatawagan.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease by the age of seven and later underwent a kidney transplant in 2020.
Recognizing the need to be closer to Manitoba’s only children’s hospital, Dumas Colomb’s parents moved her family 800 kilometres to live in Winnipeg.
“I’m sharing my story so you know my journey is not just about the health care needed, but the distance I went to get that health care, and how important the Children’s Hospital is to all the kids in our province,” Dumas Colomb said at a news conference on Thursday.
As the 2024 Manitoba Champion Child, Dumas Colomb becomes an ambassador for the HSC’s Children’s Hospital and will spend the year advocating for children’s hospitals across the country.
She will attend several speaking events this year to share her story, and will work to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital.
“The doctors, nurses and child life specialists at the Children’s Hospital are my heroes too,” she said.
“They did such a great job on helping me get well that I got to go home.”
The Children’s Hospital Foundation said that choosing Dumas Colomb as this year Champion Child highlights the barriers children in remote communities face when accessing health care.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CDC says it's identified 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles
Three women diagnosed with HIV after getting 'vampire facial' procedures at an unlicensed medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles.
All London Drugs stores closed across Western Canada due to system issue
All 79 locations of pharmacy and retail chain London Drugs are shut down Sunday, and there is no estimate on when they will be back open.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Casey DeSmith won’t start Game 4 for the Canucks
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Vancouver Canucks when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.
Putin likely didn't order death of Russian opposition leader Navalny, U.S. official says
U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn't order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.
Tornadoes kill 4 in Oklahoma, leaving trail of destruction and thousands without power
Tornadoes killed four people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.