Barb McLean’s story

Volunteer dedicates 50 years to helping sick and injured children

Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba

With 50 years’ experience in the world of fundraising, Barb McLean is so skilled she could teach a class – and she has.

“No matter how big or small your contribution is it’s still a contribution. I recognize the need for volunteers. I recognize the good that volunteers can do.” says Barb.

Barb has been volunteering with the Children’s Hospital Guild of Manitoba since 1971, when the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba was founded.

Barb’s Aunt, Pat Charad, invited her to join the Chown Guild in November of 1971 when she was 26 years old and the cost to be a member was $3. Barb had just given birth to her first child and Pat encouraged her to get out of the house and give back.

“You never know when you’re going to have a sick child, or a sick grandchild, or any child that’s a member of your family or close friends. It’s very important to have that outlet (HSC Children’s), which is a world-class outlet,” says Barb.

Barb has held many volunteer positions over the years including President of the Chown Guild. She was also a member of The Foundation board.

One of the highlights of Barb’s fundraising career was flying to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut and other northern communities to speak about her experiences raising money for kids in hospital.

In 1988 community groups from Canada’s north invited Barb, and fellow veteran volunteer Colleen Horbay, to share their knowledge because they wanted to honour a child who had needed the Children’s Hospital with a donation. The residents held a series of bingos, dances, and finally a radio-thon and raised just over $11,000.

Barb and the dedicated members of Chown Guild were creative and came up with many ways to raise money to help sick kids including fashion shows, Cocktails in the Park, hoedown dances, bridge parties, garage sales and more.

“You name it, we did it.”

While Barb belonged to the Chown Guild during her service there were four other guilds raising money for the Children’s Hospital, creating a community of caring.  In 2010 all the guilds amalgamated under the name Children’s Hospital Guild of Manitoba.

“I think the Guild members are ambassadors to the Children’s Hospital and to the Children’s Hospital Foundation and that makes me feel good. Under the umbrella of the foundation we just grew and became more recognized,” says Barb.  

Barb feels supporting HSC Children’s Hospital is important for the future of child health, and is grateful donors continue to give.

“Without your help and without your donations the Foundation wouldn’t exist and neither would the Children’s Hospital. We need to support the Foundation and the hospital,” says Barb.

Barb says she will continue to volunteer and would recommend getting involved with the Children’s Hospital Guild to anyone who can.   

“Volunteering always gives me a sense of purpose and takes me out of my comfort zone giving me the opportunity to meet and socialize with people of all ages. Volunteering as a person always lets me give and receive kindness. My connection with The Foundation has been a learning experience and blessing to me over the last 50 years.”

Barb still continues to volunteer. In 2021 she helped out at the Nearly New Shop, run by Guild volunteers, and supported COVID safe events run by the Guild like the April in Paris fundraiser.

CHTV Helps Kids Cope with Life in Hospital

For many of us, watching TV is an escape or a fun way to unwind after a long day. For sick and injured kids at HSC Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Television (CHTV) is so much more.

“We often hear that CHTV, or one of the other Child Life programs made being in hospital easier,” says Child Life specialist with over 25 years of experience, Maria Soroka. “Kids who come in frequently are separated from a lot of comforts, family, friends, pets etc. Having something to look forward to in the hospital can make all the difference.”

Since 1981 CHTV has been broadcasting age-appropriate content, without any commercials, free of charge to kids’ rooms, clinics and waiting areas at HSC Children’s. Winnipeg’s children’s hospital was the first in Canada and second in North America to set up in-house television. The station provides a wide variety of programming for all ages, cultures and target audiences and aims to help alleviate boredom, stress and anxiety.

CHTV includes a fun, interactive live show called The Good Day Show, every weekday at 1:00 pm, hosted by Child Life specialists and Noname, the hardest working sock puppet in town. 

“CHTV and The Good Day Show specifically give kids in hospital a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar setting,” says Maria. “They can count on Noname to say hi to them every weekday. He’s a reliable, consistent friend who they can see at the same time every day, when other things in their environment are less predictable.”

On The Good Day Show Child Life specialists lead crafts, play bingo, celebrate holidays, chat with special guests – like Winnipeg Blue Bomber Adam Bighill who shared a story during I Love to read Month – and much more. They also invite patients to come on the show which gives kids an opportunity to be creative, alleviate boredom, and interact with their peers.

This means the world to children like Cain, who spent countless days in hospital after being diagnosed with bone cancer. Cain needed intensive treatment including chemotherapy and surgery, and his family says appearing on CHTV’s The Good Day Show was deeply meaningful. 

“This was everything to Cain. It gave him something to look forward to each day, and it brought joy into his stays at the hospital,” says Cain’s mom, Danica. “It was also a wonderful distraction, when he was on the show it was like he was himself again, playing and using his imagination to take a break from treatment and the pain he was often in.”

Now Cain is in remission and gives back by fundraising for other kids who need the hospital. His community of Minnedosa, Manitoba rallied together make a $5,000 gift for Child Life programming, like CHTV.

Child Life programming also includes music therapy, a library program, and a playroom with toys, games, crafts and a mini hospital where kids can play out their experiences with treatments and procedures. Child Life specialists are specially trained to support kids’ development and provide comfort and distraction for kids in hospital.

“We’re here to provide opportunities to foster growth and development and prevent adverse reactions to hospitalization,” says Maria. “Having good impressions and memories of the hospital is key.”

Child Life programming relies 100% on donors like you. Donate and support Child Life now to #GiveBetterFutures  

Donor-funded Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit Shortens Wait Times and Enhances Patient Care at HSC Winnipeg

Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, HSC Winnipeg opened the doors to the Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit in the summer of 2019. The new clinic dramatically reduces wait times and improves care for patients with esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and other thoracic conditions.

Moved to make a difference for HSC patients following the passing of her husband Wilf due to esophageal cancer, Mavis Taillieu stepped forward as a volunteer to lead a campaign to build and equip a state-of-the-art surgery clinic and endoscopy unit. Friends and associates of the Taillieu family, along with many other Manitobans moved by Wilf’s story, stepped forward promptly and donated $3.275 million in less than a year—months ahead of schedule.

In this space, patients with esophageal cancer—who require recurring treatments so they can eat and drink—get the procedures they need before their situations become emergencies. Previously, these patients were regularly bumped from the hospital’s operating rooms when patients with more life-threatening cases required the space.

Now, these procedures take place, on schedule, which has created hospital-wide efficiencies. For example, for each pleuroscopy procedure performed in the Taillieu Clinic, there is a savings of at least 1–2 hours of operating room time and 2–3 days of hospitalization at HSC.

Thanks to HSC Foundation donors, the equipment in the clinic allows suspected cases of lung cancer to be diagnosed and staged more quickly and more accurately, thereby avoiding unnecessary treatments.

Blaine Hadaller, one of the first patients diagnosed and treated in the Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit, would have had to wait up to eight weeks for a surgery. Instead, he waited less than a week. “The whole experience was seamless, efficient, and very impressive. Dr. Larry Tan ordered a series of tests that took place in rapid succession. I think it was six tests in the span of just a couple of weeks. When the results came back, Dr. Tan told me that I indeed had a malignant tumour and needed surgery. I was scheduled for surgery just six days later.”

The Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit stands as a shining example of what we can accomplish together when there is a new and compelling project championed and celebrated by passionate medical leadership, deeply engaged volunteers, and very generous donors.

To support health care excellence for the next 150 years and beyond, please consider making a gift online, or by calling the HSC Foundation at 204-515-5612, or 1-800-679-8493. To learn more about the HSC Foundation, please visit hscfoundation.mb.ca.

Paul Albrechtsen Interventional Radiology Suites Provide Better Patient Care and Increased Patient Access

The Paul Albrechtsen Interventional Radiology Suites at Health Sciences Centre are a remarkable reminder of the tremendous impact philanthropy has on the health and well-being of Manitobans.

Since opening in March 2020, the Paul Albrechtsen Interventional Radiology Suites have been providing patients with improved care and a safer, more comfortable experience. The new technology in the suites includes real-time imaging that allows HSC to treat blood clots causing strokes, address aneurysms, and perform numerous other procedures with a level of precision that wasn’t previously possible.

The $10.2 million project was made possible by a transformational $5 million gift from the late Paul Albrechtsen and a $5.2 million investment by the Province of Manitoba. This investment allowed for the consolidation and expansion of the interventional radiology suites, thereby increasing patient volumes. Before the Paul Albrechtsen Interventional Radiology Suites, HSC was able to treat roughly 10 interventional radiology patients a day. Now, it is possible to treat as many as 16.

The $5 million donation was the last gift Mr. Albrechtsen made to the HSC Foundation during his lifetime.

One of the many patients who express endless gratitude for Mr. Albrechtsen is Charles Schroeder. Born with a genetic condition called Wilson’s Disease, Schroeder is missing an enzyme that results in a build-up of copper in his body, with terrible effects on the liver. Schroeder has had three liver transplants throughout his lifetime and has utilized the life-saving suites, and is beyond grateful for the care he has received. “The people who work in interventional radiology at HSC are outstanding. The doctors, the nurses, the technologists, the clerks—everyone is focused on the well-being of the patients. Thanks to the new space and state-of-the-art equipment, these dedicated professionals can truly showcase their skills and provide exceptional care.”

Mr. Paul Albrechtsen’s generosity has significantly elevated patient care in Manitoba and is an outstanding example of how gifts to the HSC Foundation save lives, change lives, and bring comfort to families throughout Manitoba.

To support health care excellence for the next 150 years and beyond, please consider making a gift online, or by calling the HSC Foundation at 204-515-5612, or 1-800-679-8493. To learn more about the HSC Foundation, please visit hscfoundation.mb.ca.