Mercer's Mission

My brother, Nathan, is still alive because of SickKids and their Neurosurgery department. I don’t remember much when I was 2, however I'll never forget waking up in the middle of a random January night in 2008. I walked out of my room to my 7 year old brother screaming, crying, and throwing up while being unresponsive, my mom was quick to put me back to bed and I woke up with no recollection of what happened that night.

My brother had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which required emergency brain surgery and my parents were told he may not make it through the surgery.  Essentially he had an orange sized blood clot putting pressure on his brain which needed to be removed immediately. As a result of the amazing doctors at SickKids and by the grace of God my brother is still alive to tell his story today. He had part of his skull removed to allow for swelling which required a metal plate put to be put in his head, he also required a vp shunt to help drain brain fluid. This was the initial procedure.  Nate had multiple more brain surgeries completed and he then developed seizures sporadically for a few years. The amazing people at SickKids got everything under control and I'm forever grateful for them for allowing me to grow up with my brother. 

I’ve always had a great appreciation for SickKids which is why I’m excited for the opportunity to give back to the hospital, specifically the Neurosurgery department. I hope Rtown can come together to support such a great hospital to help children like my brother live to see the beauty in life.