On June 9, Sinai Health System partnered with Fairchild Radio, a Chinese radio station, for Sinai Radiothon a live fundraising broadcast from Mount Sinai Hospital, Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Health Complex. Sinai Radiothon raised over $120,000 to help realize the best care for patients with the greatest health needs, and attracted 500 new donors to the Sinai Health System community.
From 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., listeners on Fairchild Radio heard stories, broadcast in Cantonese and Mandarin, from patients, staff, donors and volunteers from across Sinai Health System. Meanwhile Sinai volunteers accepted donations over the phone, in person, and online. One incredible couple even travelled for two hours by bus to donate.
Throughout the day, doctors, nurses, researchers and volunteers shared their experiences and expertise. Several grateful patients, like Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Long, also shared their inspirational stories to help raise critical funds for Sinai Health System.
Mrs. Wu’s daughter Riley was born at Mount Sinai in December 2015. Arriving prematurely at 25 weeks old, Riley was immediately transferred to the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Glassman NICU). Riley only weighed 740 grams at birth, and, due to her small size, had some breathing problems because her heart wasn’t fully developed. Mrs. Wu was very scared and worried.
Mrs. Wu and Riley stayed in the Glassman NICU for several months. During this time, Riley grew from 740 grams to over 3 kilograms, and Mrs. Wu learned how to take care of her fragile daughter.
“Without the staff at Mount Sinai, my daughter would not have grown so fast,” says Mrs. Wu. “I’m very grateful for the care of the nurses at Mount Sinai. They treated my daughter like their own baby.”
Eighty-three-year-old Ms. Long moved to Canada from China in 2006. Shortly after the move, Ms. Long’s husband started having emotional issues. He was diagnosed with depression, and later with dementia. Ms. Long felt very frustrated and upset, as she couldn’t speak English and didn’t have many friends in Canada. She met Maria Choi, a Program Manager at Mount Sinai’s Wellness Centre. Maria showed sympathy, great concern and even visited Ms. Long in her home. She encouraged Ms. Long to join a Depression Treatment Group and the CARERS Training Program which helped her gain skills and techniques to take care of a dementia patient like her husband.
“Community services like the Mount Sinai Wellness Centre are wonderful and should be utilized especially by immigrants that arrive to Canada and might face difficulties and need help or counseling,” says Ms. Long.
Thank you to all those who tuned in to our first Sinai Radiothon! And thank you to all the incredible staff, patients, volunteers and donors who helped make this event so successful and inspiring.