“I remember each and every one of the patients that I have been lucky enough to look after – I learn something from every patient that I have cared for.” – Dr. Kathryn Armstrong In honor of heart month, we had the opportunity to catch up with BC Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiologist Dr. Kathryn Armstrong....
A Life Reimagined
The transplanting of an organ is a complex undertaking, where the generous and selfless decision of one individual and family has the potential to transform the life of another person through the gift of donation. For 21-year-old Naomi Lee, a recent lifesaving heart transplant not only ended her struggle with end-stage heart failure, but it...
#50YearsofTransplant: Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen
Once viewed as a last resort for individuals living with organ failure, transplantation is rapidly becoming the preferred treatment of choice for a variety of diseases. There has been a transformational shift in thinking about what constitutes post-transplant success with more attention than ever being given to quality of life. Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen knows transplantation...
A Wild Roller Coaster Called Life
It is often said if you want an honest appraisal of a situation, ask a child. You are likely to receive an answer that does not underscore nor overstate reality. For eight-year-old liver transplant recipient Ian Sewell, this is especially accurate, “Transplant lets you be with your family. It is hard sometimes and hurts sometimes....
Celebrate Transplant Research 2018
With a movement towards greater patient engagement in Canadian research, it has become even more important to involve our transplant community in the research we fund. One key way we endeavour to do this is by sharing updates on our funded projects with our community at our annual Celebrate Transplant Research event. This September marked...
Working Towards a Brighter Future
The leaves are changing colour, kids are back to school and everyone has a pumpkin spice latte in hand. It is that unmistakable time of year – fall has arrived. At TRF we are taking a moment to reflect on the exciting and productive spring and summer we have had on the research front and...
Transplant Research Newsletter – Winter 2016
When a parent is told, “Your child needs an organ transplant,” it is the last chance for survival. But modern medicine has made transplantation a viable treatment option with dramatic improvements in patient survival rates over the last several decades. This also means more children with complex medical diagnoses who used to face poor outcomes and often death are now able to live longer...
Community Profile: Dr. Tom Byldt-Hansen
Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen is the Director of the Pediatric Multi-Organ Transplant Program at BC Children’s Hospital, Associate Professor in the UBC Department of Pediatrics, the Director of Pediatric Transplantation with BC Transplant and a clinician scientist at Child and Family Research Institute (CFRI). What brought you into the field of pediatric transplantation? Transplantation has always been my first...