August 08, 2016
Cody Trembecki, 14, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Ambassador, and former Champion Child, enjoys a cool treat with Calgary Flames left winger Michael Ferland. The buds took some time to enjoy a blizzard at a local Dairy Queen in Calgary last year to celebrate Miracle Treat Day.
Story by Kerri Robins; photo courtesy of Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation
Blizzards aren’t just in winter — and not all sweets are bad for you — as we saw on Aug. 11 when Dairy Queen hosted its 14th annual Miracle Treat Day in support of kids health in Alberta.
On this day, 100 per cent of all Blizzard sales go to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
And for kids like 14-year-old Cody Trembecki, this particular day brings a lot of ‘sweet’ memories and an appreciation of how much his health has improved.
Cody’s been a patient at the Alberta Children’s Hospital since 2002, when he was born three months early.
“Cody was a feisty little guy and on many occasions, his breathing tube got dislodged,” says mom Tanya Trembecki, of the tube Cody had inserted in his throat at birth to help him breathe.
The breathing tube, however, caused some scarring on his trachea (windpipe) and, at the age of 5, he underwent a tracheotomy — an incision in his windpipe to help him breathe. At 7, his doctor inserted a new windpipe built for him out of his rib cartilage.
Tanya says he’s been doing “awesome” ever since. “He’s had his new trachea for seven years now, and he only needs checkups one to two times a year.”
It’s hardly surprising that Cody and his family have been ardent supporters of Miracle Treat Day.
“It’s Cody’s favourite day,” says Tanya, adding that the cookie dough blizzard is his favourite flavour.
As a partner with the Children’s Miracle Network, DQ has raised $5.4 million in Alberta over the last 13 years, and $115 million across North America for children’s hospitals.
While it’s not a competition, the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in Edmonton holds the national record for the last six years for the most blizzards sold on Miracle Treat Day — and they’re looking to break records again this year. In fact, Miracle Treat Day has raised $5 million for Stollery Kids over the last 13 years.
This year, the foundation raised $208,091, easily surpassing its $200,000 goal.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our community for raising the bar every year by purchasing their DQ blizzard and supporting Miracle Treat Day,” says Nafisa Bowen, Development Officer, Children’s Miracle Network, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“We’d also like to thank all of the Dairy Queen operators and employees for their enormous efforts and hard work,” she adds. “Here’s to another record-breaking year.”
Meanwhile, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation received more than $464,000 last year, raising the tally to $4.7 million dollars over 13 years.
“August is the only time of the year when we’re actually thrilled to see a blizzard in Calgary,” says Liz Ballendine, Senior Director of Community Initiative and Events with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Thanks to Dairy Queen’s Miracle Treat Day we raise money for family-centred programs, research and lifesaving equipment to ensure we can provide the best care for our kids at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.”
Money raised south of Red Deer supports the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, while proceeds north of Red Deer support the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Sale proceeds in Red Deer are split between the two.
For more information, visit Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
