Simon Keith, David Foster foundations join forces to help youth after transplants
Two long-serving charities with Victoria connections have announced a partnership to help Canadian children who have undergone organ transplants.
The Simon Keith Foundation and the David Foster Foundation have teamed up for a new program to help young transplant recipients “reclaim active, healthy lives” by fully funding them in sports, fitness, recreational and cultural activities.
A joint statement from the two groups said that for many transplant families, recovery can be “physically demanding and emotionally overwhelming,” making it hard for young patients to return to normal childhood activities.
The new initiative will give transplant patients aged 19 and under access to grants that cover the cost of the sports or activities of their choice.
No matter what their choice is, “if it gets a child moving, engaged and thriving, the program supports it,” the statement said.
It gave the example of a youth named Khai, who faced months in intensive care and later developed unexplained liver failure after a pre-birth diagnosis of gastroschisis.
He received a transplant in October 2018 and has gone on to live a full, active life, participating in taekwondo, baseball, soccer and golf.
Families will be referred to the program through the David Foster Foundation, founded in 1986 by Victoria-born, Grammy-winning music producer David Foster.
The foundation provides financial support for non-medical expenses faced by families with children who have had organ transplants, including such costs as mortgage or rent, travel and groceries.
The Simon Keith Foundation, founded by Victoria native Simon Keith in 2011, supports youth after organ transplants and promotes organ-donor registration through public-awareness campaigns.
Keith, a former soccer star, has had two heart transplants and a kidney transplant.
“We are thrilled to partner with Simon and his foundation in advancing our shared vision for Canadian children and families and their active post-transplant lives,” Foster said in a statement.
Simon Keith Foundation director Ian Klitsie said the group is “excited to deliver real-time, life-changing opportunities for these children and families.”
“Returning kids to sports and activities is at the very core of what we do.”
jbell@timescolonist.com