Our ambassadors
Emmanuel
Emmanuel is a student at Lower Canada College, one of the first anglophone private schools to join the ranks of the Sainte-Justine Youth Challenge!
Emmanuel has always loved basketball: his favourite athlete is Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors. Emmanuel’s biggest dream, though, is being able to walk again.
In 2013, Emmanuel was in a violent car crash, which put him in a coma for a whole week. When he awoke, he found that the accident had cost him the use of his legs. Emmanuel is now paraplegic.
Today, though, Emmanuel is well on the road to recovery, thanks to his strength of character, his determination, and his courage. When he trains on the Lokomat, a robotic device that is used in gait training, his eyes sparkle. Seeing him is enough to convince anyone that one day, Emmanuel will walk again.
« I need you guys! That’s why I agreed to be a spokesperson last year and an ambassador this year. When you take up the Youth Challenge, you help out kids like me. Let’s go! »
Henri
In 2009, Henri was 7 years old and already a terrific skier. One day, though, his life took a turn for the worse. As he was trying to catch up to a friend, an icy patch on the hill sent him crashing hard against a pylon.
With a collapsed brow and multiple fractures across his nose, sinuses, the roof of his mouth and his cheek, Henri was disfigured. He had to undergo reconstructive surgeries to rebuild the right side of his face, and spent 10 hours in the operating room. With all their knowledge and expertise, the Sainte-Justine teams got Henri back on his feet... or rather, his skis! Almost a year after his accident, Henri was back on the slopes.
Thanks to the amazing dedication of his surgeons, Henri has just one trace of the accident: a single scar, almost invisible, runs across his scalp from ear to ear.
And it goes without saying that Henri and his younger brother, Charles, both students at Collège Sainte-Anne in Lachine, make it a point every year to participate in the Sainte-Justine Private Schools Youth Challenge. Together, they raised almost $20,000 selling lemonade!
It goes without saying that Henri and Charles, both students at Collège Sainte-Anne in Lachine, are active participants in the Sainte-Justine Private Schools Youth Challenge!
« Thanks to the Sainte-Justine teams’ incredible work, kids like me are able to survive terrible ordeals every single day. I wanted to give back to the hospital to help save more children so that they can live a full and healthy life! »
Laurence
Laurence had just moved in when she fell from a steep, 15-metre cliff behind her new house. Stuck between the cliff and a large rock, she remained conscious despite numerous injuries: head trauma, broken arm, broken leg, broken pelvis, broken jaw and broken chin...
After her local hospital stabilized her condition, she was quickly transferred to the CHU Sainte-Justine. As soon as she arrived, the team reassured everyone that Laurence was going to make it.
Orthopedists, plastic surgeons, ENTs, dentists, orthodontists, physical therapists... Laurence has seen them all. She has had to go through long surgeries, follow-ups and treatments, but everyone – including Laurence herself – did all they could so she could get back to her old life.
Her determination and the strength of the Sainte-Justine team paid off! Together, they made everything right again... one step at a time. Today, she is almost completely recovered, almost perfectly healed from that fateful day in May 2011.
« Thank you, everyone, for participating in the Youth Challenge! You make it possible for the teams at Sainte-Justine to always be at the ready to heal wounds and save more lives, just like they did for me. Together, we have to keep going, and never, ever stop! »
Jérôme
Jérôme does not remember the accident. Two years ago, on July 25th, Jérôme was riding his bicycle, and even though his parents must have told him a hundred times to wear his helmet, he simply forgot. As he got on the road, a passing car struck him. The crash was violent.
Jérôme’s condition was critical: he had to be transferred quickly from his local hospital to the CHU Sainte-Justine. Once assessed, he scored a 4 on the Glasgow Coma Scale: 77% of children who score between 3 and 5 do not survive.
Jérôme was put into an induced coma for 18 days to improve his chances. Once he awoke, there was still a lot of work to do. The occupational therapist, physical therapist, nurse, specialized youth educator, psychologist and many others did everything in their power to help Jérôme get back on his feet and back to his old self again. And it was a success!
Now 10 years old, Jérôme dreams of becoming a clown when he grows up« A Dr. Clown policeman who makes children laugh!!
« Thank you for your support of the Sainte-Justine Private Schools Youth Challenge! You help other kids like me get better and grow up healthy and happy. And don’t forget to wear a helmet when you go biking! »
Florence
On October 5, 2011, Florence Boucher’s young life took a tragic turn. As she was crossing the street, she was struck by a bus, and remained trapped for 45 minutes. With the skin of her legs and lower body raw, her bladder burst, her urinary tract sheared, her femur and pelvis broken, and many other fractures, her condition was critical. She was transported from the Chicoutimi hospital to the CHU Sainte-Justine by air ambulance. Meanwhile, in Montreal, professionals from eight different departments awaited her arrival to save her life.
Through the surgeries, skin grafts and rehabilitation, Florence overcomes each challenge with the help of her family and the CHU Sainte-Justine team, who all support her to help her return to as normal a life as can be achieved.
As we see her entering adulthood, fulfilled, happy and joyful, we feel we can say ‘mission accomplished’!
« I remember everything that happened on the day of the accident. I remember the pain, the fear. But mostly, I remember how much the Sainte-Justine team did for me to get back to a normal life. They succeeded. Thank you for your support of the CHU Sainte-Justine Centre of Excellence in Trauma Care! »
Antoine & Olivier
On July 5, 2014, Antoine and Olivier’s dream day turned into a nightmare. The boat that they were on with their family and friends was violently hit by another vessel.
After quickly being transported to the Saint-Jérôme hospital centre by ambulance, they were rapidly transferred to Sainte-Justine where each teen was placed into an induced coma to lessen their pain.
Antoine had sustained a severe head trauma and a laceration to his ear. He spent three days in intensive care before being transferred to the traumatology unit. Olivier sustained a craniofacial trauma and lost 5 teeth. He had to undergo a 6-hour operation as surgeons used all their expertise to repair the injuries that extended from his temple to his jaw. When they woke up, they each faced a long period of convalescence followed by several months of physiotherapy.
Fortunately, the two friends have almost no lasting effects from the accident, aside from a scar on Antoine’s ear and one on Olivier’s chin; Olivier will also have to undergo procedures periodically for the rest of his life, mainly to ensure his dental health.
Today, they are both actively involved participants in the Youth Challenge, in recognition of the exceptional care they received!