The Kids
Here’s a glimpse at some of the stories in the book:
Liam
In April 2019, five-year-old Liam began having seizures nearly 24 hours a day. After weeks in the Montreal Children’s Hospital, genetic testing revealed he had a POLG-related mitochondrial disease, a rare and progressive disorder affecting the body’s ability to produce cellular energy.
Dr. Kenneth Myers, a pediatric neurologist at the Montreal Children’s and a researcher in the Child Health and Human Development Program of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, told his father, Kevin, about a new treatment that might help Liam. They decided to work together to initiate a clinical trial.
In 2020 Kevin started the Liam Foundation to help fund the trial, to spread awareness of the condition and to work toward the creation of Quebec’s first dedicated mitochondrial disease research centre at the Montreal Children’s. Funding for the centre, which was approved in early 2025, is in partnership with the Hospital Foundation, he said. The Liam Foundation has committed $500,000 for the centre, to be named for Liam.
Sam
Sam was in grade 1 when he received a diagnosis of celiac disease, an autoimmune condition which, among other things, requires constant vigilance around food. With the support and counsel of Dr. Terry Sigman, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, he has continued to navigate life with resilience, discipline and perspective.
He has learned to advocate for himself, ask questions and make careful choices to stay healthy and active. He knows that food is more than fuel: It’s comfort, connection and family. Sam hopes the À La Carte Cookbook fundraiser will bring support to families facing illness and help lighten the weight they carry.
Jacob
In late 2021, Jacob became seriously ill with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare and potentially life-threatening inflammatory condition that can develop after COVID-19. He spent a month at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, including a week in intensive care. Because he was among the first children in Montreal to receive an MIS-C diagnosis, doctors were still determining how best to treat the condition and his family was unsure whether he would be able to return fully to the life he had before.
Recovery was long and difficult. Jacob continued to experience pain and worked hard to rebuild his strength and endurance and catch up with friends in skating and hockey. Through it all, he learned patience, trust and determination and today he hopes his story in À La Carte Cookbook, Encore! will remind other children and families facing serious illness that, even when the path is long, healing is possible.
Sammy
In 2023, 11-year-old Sammy learned he had Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease which destroys the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin and requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels. As an avid athlete who loves tennis, basketball and soccer, his first question to the doctor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital was whether he could keep playing tennis. The answer was yes, he could do anything he wanted and live a full, active life.
Since his diagnosis, Sammy has raised more than $200,000 for Breakthrough T1D, the leading organization in funding and research for Type 1 diabetes, through its annual walk and he has joined a study which connects young people with diabetes on social media to determine whether having a support group has a positive impact on well-being and diabetes management. His message to others: It’s hard at first but, with time, you learn to manage it.
Legend
In 2025, Legend, a pre-teen from northern Quebec, was receiving care at the Montreal Children’s Hospital for severe atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. This chronic inflammatory skin condition causes intense itching, redness, dryness and sometimes infection and it can have a profound impact on sleep, confidence and quality of life.
Legend credits Minnie’s Hope, a child and family resource centre serving the Cree community of Whapmagoostui and the neighbouring Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik, for helping them through their eczema trauma. The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation helped fund a new building for Minnie’s Hope. It opened in 2025, thanks to a $5 million donation to the Foundation from BMO Financial Group and the Hewitt Foundation.
Lena
In 2024, Lena received a diagnosis of leukemia, a blood cancer which requires frequent hospital visits and treatments. For her, it meant many doctors’ appointments and many moments of being poked with needles, something she recalls as the hardest part. Through it all, Lena has shown remarkable strength, resilience and joy.
Hospital life brought challenges but also support and connection. Her friends visited her, keeping her company during difficult days. She also found comfort in her family’s constant presence and in friendships she formed with other children receiving care.
Her message to other children facing leukemia is simple and hopeful: “You’re going to feel better in a couple of days. Maybe you feel sad in the hospital, but I was there too and then you can be happy.”
Emmy
In 2016, at age three, Emmy began experiencing mysterious symptoms. What started as daily hives soon grew more concerning: unexplained fevers, swollen joints and difficulty walking.
After months of uncertainty, bloodwork confirmed the diagnosis: systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a rare condition which causes inflammation in joints and organs. With swift intervention by Dr. Rosie Scuccimarri, a pediatric rheumatologist, and the rest of the team at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, treatment began right away and her health stabilized.
Her message to other kids with juvenile arthritis is simple but powerful: “You get used to it.” And her hope for the future? “That they can get a medicine that would make arthritis go away.”