A Hanmer family wants to raise money to give back to the Hospital that it says saved their sons son's life.

Here's Liam's Story:

On September 12th, 2010 our little miracle Liam was born at 27 weeks gestation weighing 770 grams. The journey began very quickly. He was intubated due to respiratory distress and immediately sent to the NICU . As the days went by we saw slow progression and Liam began to develop several complications which include Pulmonary Haemorrhage, Hypotension, Grade III Brain Haemorrhage, Failure to Thrive, Vein Thrombosis, and the list went on.

October 23rd, 2010 things turned for the worse Liam developed Necrotizing Enterocolitis (acute inflammatory disease occurring in the intestine of premature infants). Liam was sent for surgery within days weighing just over 2lbs. After the surgery we were told they had to remove 11 cm of his intestine due to the amount of infection.

We quickly learned what the power of family and love brought to him and we truly knew he was a fighter. Days and months progressed with further surgeries related to his many complications. Many sleepless nights went on not knowing if Liam would pull trough. Many meetings about Liams health occured to discuss what may be the outcomes for the future. We were told that Liam may never walk, talk, or even be able to do every day activities.

Liam was finally discharged home at 6 months after birth. The journey did not end here for our little man… It continued with two visits to the ER in Sudbury and subsequently a re-admission to Sick Kids for recurrent NEC and failure to thrive.

Dr Wales and his team became involved and Liam was now part of the GIFT Team. After 4 more months of different therapies, medication adjustments and a g-tube we were able to bring our little miracle home once again.

Looking back at it now, Liam couldn’t have made it to where he is today without the support of family, community and all staff that cared for him in Sick Kids. We still continue to have medical follow up every 4-6months and frequent communication if something arises.

Liam is now 4 years old and has continued to show his strenght by beating the odds. He is walking, talking and full of Life. We've been told this year in kindergarten that he enjoys being the class clown and tries to find ways to make people smile. Although we've recenlty been told Liam has a mild form of Cerebral Palsy he does not allow that to get in his way!!!

All of this could not have been possible without the wonderful programs and physicians at sick kids. We've decieded it's time to give back!!

The Story of the Strong Willed Warriors:

Our team name was chosen by the definition of our four year old son’s name. Liam = Strong Willed Warrior. We are the Strong Willed Warriors! Liam battled 10 months of his life at the Hospital for Sick Children, making Liam the biggest and strongest warrior of us all!

The Strong Willed Warriors currently has nine participants including parents, aunts, cousins, brother and grandma. The Great Camp Adventure Walk is the perfect opportunity for all of us to enjoy a fun-filled day together. There will be lots of laughs and memories to be shared! We have had a lot of support from the entire family however unfortunately not everyone can participate in the event, as we live five hours away in Sudbury!

There are so many reasons why our family has decided to get involved with The Great Camp Adventure Walk on September 26 however below are the three most important to us –

1. It was time to give back to the hospital that saved Liam’s life! If it wasn't for fundraising events such as The Great Camp Adventure Walk, we wouldn’t have the research and advancement in today's medical world. This research, technology and state of the art facilities allow for more children like Liam to be cared for. In order to continue these advancements it takes YOUR donations and participation to make it happen!

2. The event is about more than just raising money, it is valuable to us. It creates a sense of pride and community, bringing together families, friends, colleagues and strangers alike. We are excited to enjoy a day outside, meeting different families whom have also gone through their own challenges and have their own SickKids story.

3. Generating publicity and awareness for SickKids and the amazing work it does. To meet our team fundraising goal, we decided to put together a community BBQ with 100% of the proceeds going to our Team page. We raised over $2,000 and helped to spread the word about the event and how to get involved. We have also put out donation jars at local businesses. Our Team is so lucky to have the support of the whole community!

The Great Camp Adventure Walk is going to be a yearly tradition for us and we are so excited that we have already started brainstorming fundraising ideas for next year! See you all in September!

Kim

Strong Willed Warriors

Please help us reach our goal for the hospital that saved our little man's life!!!

- See more at: http://www.support.sickkidsfoundation.com/site/TR/Events/CAMP_15?team_id=3287&pg=team&fr_id=1060#sthash.ifBivtmd.dpuf