A twelve year old Coldstream boy with Crohn鈥檚 disease has started an annual fundraiser to give back to B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital (BCCH), the place he said saved his life.
Spencer Sawatzky was flown by air ambulance to BCCH the Christmas of 2015 when an x-ray revealed a perforated bowel. Within an hour of arriving he was on the operating table to remove the left half of his colon due to ulcerative colitis.
鈥淚t was pretty scary, I didn鈥檛 know what to think,鈥� said Sawatzky.
On Jan. 16, 2016 Spencer had severe bleeding from his incision. After being checked by a doctor they made the call to take him back for a second emergency surgery.
鈥淭his time they had to remove the rest of his colon,鈥� said Spencer鈥檚 mother Krista Sawatzky.
Spencer stayed in intensive care for three days this time as he had lost a lot of blood and needed a couple of blood transfusions. 鈥淗e spent the next four weeks recovering in the hospital from his two emergency surgeries,鈥� said Spencer鈥檚 father Neil Sawatzky.
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It has been a strenuous four years for Spencer in and out of Children鈥檚 Hospital.
鈥淪ince February 2016 Spencer has undergone a J-pouch surgery, flown to B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital early March, spending two weeks treating an abscess, home for 30 hours, flown back for a second abscess and had surgery to put in a PICC line and drain, a reconnection surgery July 2017,鈥� said Krista.
It wasn鈥檛 until October 2017 when a scope revealed Crohn鈥檚 disease, after Spencer was admitted to the hospital on multiple occasions for severe dehydration, below normal sodium and potassium
鈥淚n November 2018 we were flown once again to Children鈥檚 for a bowel obstruction, after two weeks of trying all measures he had surgery, we went home the end of November,鈥� said Neil.
Spencer continues his treatment every four weeks in the medical day unit at BCCH and he gives back, he has started fundraising for the hospital in part of Jeans Day.
鈥淚 want to thank the doctors and nurses for all they do for me while I鈥檓 at the hospital and fundraing is a way to do it,鈥� said Spencer.
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For the last four years, Spencer and his family have been fundraising and have made close to $8,000 for Jeans Day Foundation.
鈥淲e set up at Silver Star and school to sell badges and raise funds to help the hospital continue to run the facility and save lives, like they did for Spencer,鈥� said the Sawatzkys.
Jeans Day is one of B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation鈥檚 most popular province-wide fundraisers, where families and community members raise money year round for the special celebration day which falls this year on Thursday.
鈥淛eans Day will support B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital in its quest to transform health care for the one million-plus kids who count on the hospital,鈥� said Children鈥檚 Hospital vice-president of philanthropy Maria Faccio. 鈥淔unds raised through Jeans Day will help advance innovative research, purchase advanced equipment, and create spaces and practices that prioritize the unique needs of kids and their families in every aspect of their care,鈥�
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She said more than 200,000 British Columbians, including individuals, families, businesses and students, will wear their purchased Jeans Day lapel pins and don their head-to-toe denim attire in support of BC鈥檚 kids.
Jeans Day pins are available for $20 at participating retailers, including: Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods, London Drugs, Thrifty Foods and Country Grocer. Learn more and donate online at
Faccio said the foundation has been running for close to 29 years and last year it raised $1 million and they hope to raise that again this year.
laryn.gilmour@blackpress.ca
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