The father of a nine-year-old child is grateful for the community support for his daughter as she remains in Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
Nine-year-old Cali Jones has been in Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto since March 8, 2024 suffering from the complications of Strep A.
Since then her parents Trevor and Caitlin have been by her bedside while trying to take care of their five other children in Grafton.
At the Port Hope Panthers game on Tuesday, March 26, Trevor and four of the children were at the game as a relative and friend were selling baked goods as a fundraiser for expenses.
Trevor took a few moments to speak to Today’s Northumberland about the journey.
“It’s been absolute hell,” Trevor said holding back tears.
Since being in Sick Kids, Cali has had her ups and downs, but is slowly improving.
“She’s doing very well right now – she’s stable.”
In the beginning Cali was almost unrecognizable with the amount of tubes coming in and out of the little girl as she lay sedated at Sick Kids.
“They are getting ready to take out the breathing tube to get her breathing on her own.”
Cali is off the sedation and muscle relaxant.
“So they are slowly waking her up.”
“She’s breathing 100% better.”
Trevor said his family can’t express the words from all the support they’ve received from the public.
“Absolutely amazing.”
“Through our community, through Northumberland Hills Hospital, Sick Kids, I can’t explain how well they are.”
Trevor wants to get the message out that Cali’s symptoms in the beginning were three days of high temperature.
Even though Cali didn’t want to go to the hospital that morning, her mother insisted.
“She went to school the Tuesday and the Wednesday – everything was pretty much normal. She just had a high temperature, especially right now. Strep Group A is everywhere.”
“If it wasn’t for the nurse who came in and grabbed her right out of triage – then things could have been differently now.”
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has not commented on Strep A in the area.
Helping Out Cali
A relative of a Grafton child has teamed up with a local baker raising funds for the families trip back and forth to Sick Kids Hospital.
Eighteen-year-old Carlie Hellam is a cousin of Cali Jones who was airlifted to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto on March 8, 2024 with Strep A.
Cali’s parents have been travelling back and forth to Toronto while doing their best to take care of their other five children.
Cali has been sedated since then, but Carlie wanted to help in anyway she could with expenses.
At the Port Hope Panthers first game of the Tod Division finals on Tuesday, Carlie and her friend Emma Andrus (age 19) were selling baked good.
“Because I’m not great at baking I got Emma from Emma’s Sweet Addictions to help out.”
The cupcake fundraiser on Facebook raised over $600.00 and at the end of the Panthers game, even though the home team lost, the support was there with another $200.00 in sales.
On April 6 the fire department is having a hockey tournament at the Jack Burger Sports Complex where they will once again be selling the baked goods.
Emma did all the baking and for anyone that would like to help out or purchase cupcakes they can contact Emma at emmasweetaddiction@gmail.com.
Grafton Child Airlifted from NHH to Sick Kid’s with Serious Strep Infection
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
