Sudbury Shrine Club News
Sudbury Shrine Club donation to Montreal Shriners Hospital for Children
Botox for Benjamin a difference maker
CAROL MULLIGAN
The Sudbury Star
Shriners feted for fundraising
Dr. Sean Murray and three-year- old Benjamin Pare were members of a mutual admiration society Friday. Benjamin gave a loud cheer when the paediatrician was introduced at a Shrine Club presentation at the Children's Treatment Centre. "And that's why I do the Botox clinics," Murray ad-libbed after the boy yelled out "yay" at his introduction.
Treating children like Benjamin at the Botox clinics is something near and dear to his heart, said Murray.
Murray and Benjamin, who has spastic cerebral palsy, were among those who attended the afternoon event to honour the Sudbury Shrine Club and Rameses Shriners of Toronto for donating $342,000 to the Botox clinics in the last eight years.
Murray, who is medical director of Health Sciences North's family and child program, said children with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and idiopathic toe walking "struggle to do the things that other children take for granted."And they do it with perseverance, smiles and joy, said Murray.
Injections of the substance most often associated with reducing wrinkles and facial lines decreases muscle stiffness in children with cerebral palsy.
Doctors and scientists have been unable to make much headway in treating CP other than with Botox. The injections sometimes eliminate the need for surgery or at least delay it as long as possible, said Murray.
Benjamin's parents, Robert and Melissa Pare, said their son was immobile at 12 months of age. The boy's legs were so stiff that when they placed him in his car seat, he would scream out in pain and his parents didn't know why.
After a first Botox injection at 16 months, Benjamin was able to sit up. Within six to seven months, he was mobile.
Friday, Benjamin was all smiles as he played with equipment in the room where the event was held and sat riding a small toy animal.
"He's rough and tough," a regular little boy, Robert Pare told the audience, expressing his gratitude to the Shriners and the Children's Treatment Centre for giving his son a better life.
Sally Spence, who retired recently as manager of the Children's Treatment Centre, was honoured for her decades of work with the centre.
But she said the centre couldn't have helped the children it has without the Shriners.
The Shriners were presented with a plaque in honour of their $342,000 in donations to the Botox clinics.
About 25 Botox clinics are held every year for about 100 children, offered by a team that includes a paediatrician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and registered nurse.
Botox injections, which Murray said are painful, improve motor function and gait patterning, improve upper limb function and communication and self-help skills.
To read the article about Alex' Story click mouse over top.
SHRINERS FUND BOTOX CLINIC FOR LOCAL CHILDREN
The Rameses Shrine Divan along with many Sudbury Shrine Club Nobles visited the Sudbury Regional Hospital Children’s Treatment Centre on Monday, April 4th 2011 to present a $54,000 cheque that will be used for Botox injections on children suffering with Cerebral Palsy.
Sally Spence Clinical Manager at the Sudbury Regional Hospital’s Children’s Treatment Centre thanked the Potentate Ill. Sir Jim McKinney and the Sudbury Shrine Club President, Noble John McCowan for fifteen years of continued support to the children in our district. In that time the Shriners have worked very hard to raise over $500,000 to help with the cost of the BOTOX clinic.
Noble John McCowan noted the Shriners work very hard throughout the year to raise money so we can transport local children who need special paediatric orthopaedic treatment to the Shriners Hospital in Montreal. We raise money by working at a local Charities Bingo, selling Christmas Cakes and Vidalia Onions, recycling Aluminum and even through personal donations.
Helping disabled children is extremely rewarding and touches the heart of each individual Shriner. We know we’re doing something to help alleviate pain and problems in their future life. The purpose of the Shriner’s Hospital in Montreal is to save children’s lives and restore their bodies to the highest level of usefulness, research into orthopaedic and burn care, and education, training physicians and other professionals in disabilities.
Sally Spence, Children’s Treatment Centre Manager; Ill. Sir James D. McKinney, Potentate Rameses Shriners
and John McCowan, President Sudbury Shrine Club
Sally told the audience “The clinic serves close to 2,000 children both in urban and rural North-Eastern Ontario each year. We go as far west and north as Chapleau, and all communities between there and Sudbury.
“We have enjoyed a decade
and a half long partnership with the Shriners initiated by the late Bob
McClatchie and The 
Shrine Hospital in Montreal,” says Sally.
“The Shriners send their paediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Hamdy, who has performed surgeries on hundreds of children in our area. Each time Dr. Hamdy holds a clinic at the Treatment Centre, he sees 40 to 50 kids, Shrine Club members are present to greet the families are a resource to families in whatever way they can and also pay for the transportation and lodging cost for the child and one adult to and from Montreal. They also cover the cost of braces, and other necessary equipment.
“The Shriners have helped us with Botox,” Sally says. “Dr. Hamdy told us about the benefits in using Botox in the treatment of Cerebral Palsy. It has the paralytic effect on spastic muscles of children with CP. Those muscles that had to be previously surgically lengthened can now be relaxed through Botox injections, so surgery is not needed or delayed. Thanks to the Toronto Rameses Temple and our wonderful Sudbury Shrine Club, we’ve received $54,000 to provide the intensive therapy needed after Botox injections.”If you have a child that can use the services of the Shriners Hospital, you’re invited to contact the Shrine Club at 705-524-0335 or email sudburyshriners@eastlink.ca
EOS: A revolution in medical imaging
New EOS imaging system takes the
guesswork out of orthopaedic surgery
Montreal, March 17, 2011 – Today, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada unveiled a new EOS 3D imaging system, which will allow for superior imaging capacity, significantly reduced exposure to radiation and reduced exam times. Patients Gabriel Cobzaru and Maika Bouffard were among the first to live the EOS experience, a standing X-ray akin to walking onto the set of a sci-fi movie. Orthopaedic surgeons at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada now have an unprecedented three-dimensional view of the bone structure of their patients, thanks to the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine (LOSNA) who contributed the more than half a million dollars to fund the new equipment.
EOS was
developed from a Nobel Prize-winning technology by a team of engineers,
French orthopaedic surgeons and radiologists. With the patient
standing, the system uses two beams to simultaneously take both a
frontal and side view. Radiology technicians then use the latest
computer technology to combine the images, enabling a complete
assessment of balance in a weight-bearing position. This
high-resolution image of the patient provides the orthopaedic surgeon
with over 100 clinical parameters for pre- and post-operative surgical
planning.
“In the past, surgeons
had to rely on two-dimensional images to imagine the 3D pictures
in preparation for the surgical intervention,” said Jean Ouellet, M.D.,
and Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada
in Montreal. “The EOS system we have now eliminates the guesswork that
came with traditional 2D images, and we can see what is happening to the
joints when the child is upright. The better we understand where the
problem is, the better our ability to correct the problem. With a
clearer idea going into the procedure there is less trauma for the
patient and the potential for faster rehabilitation.”
Increased Patient Safety
There is also an important, though unseen benefit for the patient: The EOS system uses up-to 89% less radiation than traditional X-rays while generating its high quality images. This is especially important for the young people who will be examined using the EOS system, as they are more susceptible to the negative effects of X-ray radiation. Past studies have shown a link between the exposure of teenage girls to X-rays and higher rates of breast cancer later in life. However, many of the young people being treated at the Shriners Hospitals for Children have to undergo numerous periodic X-rays as physicians follow the evolution of their condition as it is treated.
For ten-year old Gabriel, the EOS X-rays mean doctors will be able to keep a closer eye on his spinal column as he grows without exposing him to unnecessary radiation. Born with three vertebrae that were tethered together and suffering from scoliosis, he underwent surgery at age nine in which one vertebrae was removed and then steel rods and screws were inserted to straighten out the extreme curve of his back.
“He will require these X-rays twice a year, probably until he stops growing.” Said his mother. “We are very happy that there won’t be so much radiation, yet he can be followed closely.”
Now ten, Gabriel’s condition has improved to the point that he wants to become an astronaut when he grows up. He even wrote a book on his dream of becoming an astronaut, which he gave to Dr. Ouellet. With the leading technology of EOS, Gabriel is moving ahead into the futuristic imaging equivalent to the Star Trek scanner.
A Shriners First
The EOS system required the construction of an entirely new examination room at the Shriners Hospital to house it, complete with lead-lined walls and new electrical installations. Once in place, all of the radiology technicians had to participate in a specialised training session to operate the EOS machine, followed by on-computer training to perform the three-dimensional reconstruction.
“It’s mainly intended for spinal work, but we can use it on other parts of the body as well,” said Francois Champion, Chief Technologist at the Shriners Hospital for Children. “This is the first machine of its kind in the Shriners hospital system and we are still discovering all of its possibilities. It is very motivating to have this kind of new technology coming in.”
Bringing the EOS X-ray system to the Shriners Hospital was made possible by a donation of $565,000 by the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine of North America, Bokhara Court No. 22 in honour of Lady Dorothy Erma Rutherford.
Research and Development
With only a handful of the new EOS machines in North America, this is the first McGill University affiliated site to possess the technology. This new technology continues to evolve as medical experts continue to learn all of its potential clinical applications. The Scoliosis Research Society has been working on a 3D classification using EOS technology to better predict which treatment will provide the best outcomes for patients. Orthopaedic surgeons and medical imaging technicians at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada will work closely with EOS to continue to develop the imaging capacity for complex orthopaedic conditions.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing paediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 years with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lig and palate are eligible for care, and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. For more information, please visit www.shrinershospitals.org.