Toronto SickKids to welcome 3 more pediatric cancer patients from Ukraine

Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children is expecting the arrival of three more pediatric cancer patients from Ukraine.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the hospital said the patients and their families would arrive from Ukraine within 24 to 36 hours, which will bump the total number of patients it has received from the country to five.

SickKids said the first two pediatric cancer patients and their families, who arrived in Toronto on March 16, are “settling in and pleased to be in Canada.”

SickKids will receive 3 more patients with cancer & their families from Ukraine within the next 24-36 hours. We are grateful to all partners involved in ensuring these families can safely arrive in Toronto. Flight details will not be provided to protect the families’ privacy. 1/2

— The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) (@SickKidsNews) March 22, 2022

“SickKids clinical teams completed their initial assessments and are putting care plans into place. They’re asking for their privacy and media inquiries to be directed to SickKids Media Relations,” the hospital said.

“Toronto has a strong and compassionate Ukrainian community”

SickKids President and CEO Ronald Cohn has said the hospital can take in between 10 and 15 children and their families and that the situation is “highly fluid.”

More than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

“Toronto has a strong and compassionate Ukrainian community. SickKids has long-standing partnerships with Ukrainian children’s hospitals that enable us to support urgent children’s health-care needs in Ukraine,” SickKids Hospital said in a news release.

One week ago, Toronto’s SickKids hospital confirmed that two pediatric cancer patients forced to flee Ukraine had arrived for treatment.

“We know there’s much interest in the arrival of the patients & families from Ukraine. They arrived safely in Toronto [on March 16] and will receive the excellent, compassionate care SickKids is known for,” the hospital said. “We thank all for their concern [and] ask for continued respect for the families’ privacy.”

SickKids has reached out to other children’s hospitals in Canada to get pediatric cancer patients treated as soon as possible.

The hospital has a Ukrainian Paediatric Assistance Fund that accepts financial donations to support patients and families. Contributions will assist the patients and their families with non-medical expenses — such as food and transportation.

With files from The Canadian Press