Alberta Milk will match donations up to $100,000
An Alberta dairy farmer is sharing her family’s story this holiday season to raise money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Crystal Olive, a second-generation producer from Silver Top Dairy near Fort Macleod, Alta., visits the hospital every few months with her 15-year-old son Alex.
He has Ataxia-Telangiectasia, known as A-T.
The condition, also known as Louis-Bar syndrome, “is a degenerative hereditary neurological disease which affects several systems of the body”, according to Ataxia Canada.
A-T affects one person for every 40,000 to 100,000 people worldwide.
“It’s an ongoing condition for the rest of his life,” she told Farms.com. “It causes lack of muscle control, immune deficiencies, and high rates of cancer. He went from walking to using a walker, to a wheelchair, where he’s been since he was 10.”
Because A-T affects multiple parts of Alex’s body, he requires specialized care from hospital staff.
Crystal and Alex (submitted photo)
His health care team includes a pulmonologist for his lungs, the immunology team, a pediatrist, and a dermatologist.
“Something new we learned is that it also causes liver issues,” Olive said. “He now sees a gastroenterologist too because he’s susceptible to fatty liver and diabetes.”
Olive is sharing her and Alex’s story as part of an Alberta Milk fundraising campaign.
Until Dec. 31, the organization will match up to $100,000 in donations to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The hospital is the largest public hospital for children serving families in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and B.C.
Olive understands the level of care doctors, nurses, and staff put towards their patients, and wants to help more kids like Alex receive that kind of care.
“I’m just so grateful for everyone,” she said. “It’s tricky dealing with sick children, and everyone at the hospital is so great, and so patient. Anyone who’s had a kid in the hospital knows how stressful it can be, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing Alex anywhere else.”
Dairy producers in B.C. are also sharing their stories about the local children’s hospital.
Jessica Dalton, a dairy farmer from Chilliwack, B.C., told Farms.com about her daughter Alice, who has right atrial isomerism, and the care she’s received from the BC Children’s Hospital.
“The doctors and nurses always acknowledge and care for all (five) of us and make sure to bring extra popsicles and prizes,” Jessica said.