Photo:The Hospital for Sick Children, Donation Coordinator Emily Clark accepts the donation from Todd Burgess.
Photo: Tim Burgess and his 12-year-old son Todd in The Hospital for Sick Children delivering thousands of pop tabs.
It’s a story that started seven years ago and since then, Cramahe Township father Tim Burgess and his 12-year-old son Todd have been making trips to the Hospital for Sick Children.
When Todd was five, he had surgery at the hospital. The care the family received is something they’ve never forgotten and Burgess said it’s their way of giving back.
On Friday, June 7, 2019 they were at Sick Kids dropping off thousands of aluminum tabs from cans collected by members of the Cramahe Township Fire Department, Northumberland County Paramedics, family, friends and different organizations.
“They support us, supporting Sick Kids, “ Burgess said to Today’s Northumberland while at the hospital.
Burgess and his son try and make a day of it after delivering the knapsack full of thousands of tabs.
“It’s our little token of thank you to the great service that Sick Children’s provided to us.”
“Sick Kids does so much for our kids, so for us it’s a way of reminiscing, just a father and son day. We make our donation and talk about life and how grateful we are.”
Spending the day with his father in Toronto is something Todd looks forward too, but the meaning of the day isn’t lost on the 12-year-old.
“It makes me feel good that what we did will help others.”
The tabs were delivered to Hospitality Manager for the Hospital for Sick Children Aleksandra Kluk.
She explained the hospital collects them for a former patient, Robert Hampson, who is now 18-years-old.
Shortly after his fourth birthday, Hampson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Following the surgery Hampson was left blind. Since then he’s been treated three times with chemotherapy and was treated for a second tumour at 14-years-old.
In his lifetime, Hampson has had 6,000 needles, 70,000 pills, 13 operations, 110 scans and six weeks of radiation and more than five years of chemotherapy.
“He is my inspiration,” said Kluk.
The tabs go to the Robert Hampson Tabs for Kids Fund at Easter Seals Ontario.
The donation by the Burgess family is very appreciated by Kluk as she knows how much it means to so many including the children who will get use of the equipment and Hampson.
“It’s amazing.”
“Whatever you brought will be part of some child’s wheelchair, or cane, or ramp to get inside the house,” Kluk said to the father and son.
“It means a lot. We throw out so many simple things, but they can make such a big difference.”
As of July 2018, over 64 million tabs have been collected, creating 14 pieces of equipment for children, including eight wheelchairs, a lift for an accessible van, a moveable seat for an accessible van, equipment for an accessible washroom, an adapted tricycle, a hospital bed and surgery for a cleft palate.
For more information go to http://poptabsforwheelchairs.ca/
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
