A Stellarton family will share their story of hope this weekend during the 40th IWK Telethon for Children.
From their time her daughter Bria was four months old, Kara Cameron said her family became frequent visitors to the IWK. Bria was airlifted to the IWK with dangerously low blood sugar, and remained there for a few weeks. At seven months, Bria received life-saving care in the IWK’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for about 11 days until her health improved. She suffered brain damage and required physical therapy and treatment to help her learn to walk, a milestone she accomplished when she was three years old. She is primarily nonverbal and relies on a limited vocabulary and sign language to communicate, but she is working on learning how to use a communication device.
Bria visits many specialty care clinics at the IWK, including physiotherapy, genetics, neurology, endocrinology, nephrology, orthopedics and developmental psychology.
This weekend, the IWK Foundation will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the IWK Telethon for Children through a special weekend of giving. During the anniversary broadcast of Telethon on Sunday, June 2, a local family from Stellarton – the Dort family – will share their story. 10-year-old Bria Dort lives with a rare genetic disorder called TANGO2 deficiency and is followed closely by the IWK. (IWK Foundation photo)
In 2017, Kara received a call stating Bria has a rare genetic disorder called TANGO2 deficiency. There is no cure for this neurodegenerative disease, which means her health could worsen over time, but research is underway to better understand and treat it.
Kara, who serves as a member of the IWK Foundation Board of Trustees and the TANGO2 Research Foundation and founded the Canadian TANGO2 Rare Disease Foundation, said the family wanted to showcase the importance of the hospital and how critical it is to donate.
Bria, now 10, loves spending time with her family and friends, especially her older brother Braxton, listening to music, dancing, playing with her dolls and horseback riding.