Sasha and Pamela Kiss, March 10, 2006, SickKids Hospital
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SASHA BELLA FUND FOR FAMILY CENTRED CARE

The Sasha Bella Fund For Family Centred Care is a family tribute fund at Sickkids Foundation set up by Sasha's parents Pamela Stein and Jonathan Blumberg just before their first daughter's death on June 20, 2006. The Fund celebrates Sasha and supports family-centred care initiatives at Sickkids Hospital. Please join us June 8 for the 2008 Sasha Bella Fund Walk.

As stated on its homepage, Sickkids mission is "...to provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in child health." Family centred care recognizes: family diversity and ways of coping; the family as a constant in the child's life and expert on their child while care professionals are experts on health; children and parents as entitled to complete, unbiased and timely information; family and staff partnership which increases parent confidence and ability to care for themselves and their child as better for patient safety, care outcomes and family satisfaction.

In support of this vision of patients and parents as partners in care, The Sasha Bella Fund has raised over $100,000 and consulted with doctors, nurses and allied professionals who cared for Sasha or engaged us after Sasha's death as well as members of the Family Advisory Committee of Sickkids and Sickkids parents we have met. Due to your generosity, we have delivered approximately $40,000.00 to carefully selected programs, helped create new family-centred initiatives and assisted hospital educational programs.

What the Fund has accomplished at Sickkids Hospital

  1. $2000.00 for the first two recipients of the Sasha Bella Award for Excellence in Family-Centred Care – Labatt Heart Centre, Nursing Week, March 2007
  2. $175.00 purchase of stroller for Heart Centre because Sasha loved her strolls within the hospital
  3. $1000.00 grant to Palliative Care to fund a parent reading kit
  4. $5000.00 to sponsor SickKids first Inter-Professional Practice Education Week, November 2007 Read more
  5. $3000.00 for a mural to give the 6A Beanstalk Occupational and Physical Therapy program a home in the Labatt Family Heart Centre
  6. Pamela and Jonathan spoke at a Palliative Care workshop for doctors in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit about talking directly with families about dying and death
  7. $5000.00 toward expanded Palliative Care therapeutic art, music and clown program - read Sickkids Palliative Care activity report 2006-2007
  8. Participant at the Labatt Family Heart Centre retreat, December 2007 Read more
  9. 45 minute presentations on strategies for working with parents for Heart Centre interprofessional practise education days, Jan-March 2008
  10. Participant at the Interprofessional Practise retreat, February 2008 focused on the Interprofessional and Family Centred Care documentaries and the Family Advisory Committee Review 2007 Read More
  11. At the request of parents, arranged an NICU - parent family centred care brainstorm, February 26, 2008 that brought together 12 staff and 4 parents and a submission by another NICU family
  12. 15 minute presentation to A Best Practise Spotlight session entitled Principles and Practises of Collaborative Communication, March 2008
  13. Catalyst and $5000.00 support for the new Child Life "Sing! Move! Play!" Child-Parent Music Group with Treasa Levasseur (who has donated her energy for one year)
  14. Interview for Sickkids educational documentary to promote Interprofessional Practise and Family Centred Care at Sickkids Hospital
  15. $5000.00 committment to support logistics and stipends for family - staff advisory in the NICU
  16. Brainstorm with Sickkids Palliative Care about family fund support for the Palliative Care Service, April 17 2008
  17. Participated at Mount Sinai NICU Parent-Buddy Training with Sickkids social worker Laurie DeOliveira to learn about application at Sickkids, April 27, 2008 Read More
  18. $2500.00 support for Sickkids 4rth Annual Partners in Pediatric Patient Safety Symposium for 10 bursaries, parent speaker and prize for best family centred patient safety articleRead more
  19. $2000.00 for the second two recipients of the Sasha Bella Award for Excellence in Family-Centred Care – Labatt Heart Centre, Nursing Week, March 2008
The first few thousand dollars raised went into the general fund as we had not requested that funds be held.

Activities in the works

  1. Mural signs to the new Palliative Care offices
  2. Knitting kits with Marnie's Lounge and Child Life (inspired by Sasha's Bubby's legwarmers)
  3. A parent bulletin board with Social Work and hopefully other interested parents and health care professionals
  4. Gesture directed physical and occupational therapy via Gesturetek Health mobile carts

Related Activities

  1. Interviews for National Film Board of Canada documentary Grief Walker on the palliative interventions of Stephen Jenkinson, summer and winter 2007
  2. Development of editable website for Team for Research with Adolescents and Children in Palliation and Grief linking professionals across Canada doing palliative care research, project began October 2006
  3. Requested participation for future advanced care practitioners conference at a Max and Beatrice Wolfe Centre for Children’s Grief and Palliative Care practitioners workshop

We are grateful the fund resonates with parents like Jonathan's mom Janis who wrote on their blog:

"After much research and exploration and talking with people at the Sick Kids Foundation we have found the Fund that I think addresses the same goals and priorities that Diane and I have for helping to affect change at SickKids. It's called the Sasha Bella Fund and it's named after a beautiful little girl named Sasha Bella Stein-Blumberg. Her parents set up the Fund after she passed away in June 2006. They do great work, particularly in encouraging family-centred care in the intensive units of Sick Kids, encouraging family centred practice on the general units, advancing palliative care and support for parents and promoting interprofessional education. It's a fund and a cause we are proud to support and we encourage everyone to take a closer look."

We look forward to working with Janis, Diane and Jonathan on NICU initiatives.

Supporters of The Sasha Bella Fund

Leigh Edgar Alan Koretsky
IIDEXNeocon Canada Ronald Segal
Catherine Tile Lawrence Lustman
Irwin Isenstein Shulamit Levin
Ethel Abramowitz William Boyle
Phyllis Goldberg Shirley Rubenzahl
Jillian Gould Lesley Hornik
Lorne Miller Harold Chapman
Pauline Weiner Renee Sieburth
Donald Jacobs Gabriela Abrudan
Judy Firestone Lauren Davidson
Evelyn Rosen Rose Kamnitzer
Hersh Ziefman Levin Anne
Stuart Smith Marvin Wenger
Jesse Glass Norma Kirsh
Allan Rudolph Amanda Cepler
Elise Nakelsky Sandra Temas
Matthew Wenger Rudin Frances Rose
Marilyn Zender Robyn Feldberg
Heidi Poch David Singer
Joan Sheps Murray Tyber
Michael Gould Richard Jacobs
Leora Schacter Sean Blumberg
Ladies of the Tuesday Morning Book Club SavvyMom Media
Henry Blumberg Paula Cader
Mark Blumberg Elizabeth McAteer
Nicole Shuckett Braden H. Keil
Sara Weiner Robert Veitch
Dana Crackower David Silver
Alison Goldman Simmy Lewis
Maria Selmani Linda Flemming
Yes I Can Nursery School Ruth Sheps
Barry Shea Lynn Slotkin
Bernard Katz Henry Blumberg
Patrick Rocca Jocelynn Engle
Peel Regional Police Association Lewis Clar
Barry Klar Glory Wortzman
Heidi Levine Henry Blumberg
Sara Weiner Stuart Smith
Ethel Abromowitz Carole Adriaans
Renee Sieburth Hersh Zeifman
Irwin Gould Ivan Zarenda
Anne Levin Caroline Cave
David Groll Iri Bloch
Temple Emanu-El Rabbi's Discretionary Fund Elizabeth McAteer
J. Robert Gardiner Accelerated Connections
Ethel Abramowitz Jonathan Blumberg
Jeanne Colleran Sara Weiner
Cheryl Singer Catherine Tile
Robert Veitch Ly Raha
Monty Joffin Kevin Blumberg
Wilfred Levin Pauline Weiner
Pauline Weiner Fran Cohen
Joshna Lodhia Henry Goldbach
Sean Blumberg Ronald Segal
David Kenyon Matt Wolodarsky
Cassandra Hunter Leigh Edgar
Luna Sechi Cindy Stein
Pamela Stein Shulamith Levin
Faigie Librach The Wire Inc
Robert Bullock Dominic Bortolussi
Gillian Hamilton George Citrome
Edward Anders Carol Anderson
Nautical Mind Bookstore Stuart L. Smith
Leslie Kottler David Singer
Steven Petroff Bob Dineen
Nathan Botkin Antonio Turco
Kosta Grabarnik Nine Design
John Allen Pauline Weiner
Pauline Weiner J. Robert Gardiner
Cynthia Crysler Jeffrey H. Shore
Tessie Koonthanam Trevor Bond
Brett Purcell, Wind-Net Carmella Veitch
Jennifer Hillier Kenneth Pogrin
Anne Levin James Patterson
Steven Belchetz Orion Securities Inc.
Irene Armstrong Noah Aiken-Klar
Elizabeth McAteer Dennis Bader
Erik Miehe Judith Gould
Amanda Cepler Nicola Goldstone
Dear-Born Baby Phil Silver
Fran Cohen Meredith L. Rudin
Peter M. Vamos Hairafter Hairstyling Ltd.
Lisa H. Singer The Immersion Lab Inc Learning Accelerator
Brian Cepler Angela Mandel
Doron Feingold Jody Steinhauer
Henry Blumberg Henry Blumberg
Neil Parekh Sarah Fentum
Riley J. Farrell Lauren Davidson
Marilyn Burns Lisa H. Singer
Norman Mogil Marilyn Banack
Marni Banack-Mogil Sean Lawreule
Rosemary Nagasaki-Kelly Marion Hammacott
Mark Grominsky Paula Cameron
Gilberta Cunha Helena Rego
Maria Helena Rego Della Dwyer
Janice Stiner Michelle Reichart
Raina Stein J. Edgar and Associates Inc.
Alix Paisley Faith Stein
Lorna Stein Ofer Krausz
Jaime Dorego Pat Imrie
Sarah Dillon Wiktoria Makvchowska
Colleen Scully Hal Berman
Joel Yophe Connie Lee
Anna Audric Robert Caravaggio
Meg Thomas Mike McDonnell
Ryder Gilliland Sabrina Francescut
Carol Anderson Melissa Iglesias
Naomi Overend Bradley E. Berg
Anne Glover Michael Mercer
Katherine Manning Erika A. Krausz
Deidree Tissera David Shuen
Francine Rousseau Mia Eng
June Sawatzky Anita Krausz
Jason Gallagher Linda Fleming
Jeff Kugler Paul McNulty
Lauren Duff Francesca Esguerra
Janelle Adam Julie Aston
Chryss Lostoridis Hans Cedra
Catherine Ha Doreen Beattie
Gina Cuomo Mary Jane Crawford
Aldo Pichetti Larol Revoredo
Alison Goldman Kim Schofield
Grace Nugent Jillian Gould
Sara Fillmore Ken Stein
Ryan Peck Kristen Thomson
Pamela Stein Janis, Diane, Eli and Jonathan Purdy-Flacks
The Wire Henry Blumberg
Mark Arnold Lisa, Norman, Katie & Julia Leung
Norman Leung In Honour of Justin's Birthday! Sean J. Blumberg
Larry and Faye Librach  


Currently name are updated once a quarter when SickKids Foundation generates reports, we hope this will speed up with a page for the Fund through Artez.