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The IWK Foundation has announced this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Champion.

The program helps to showcase the advances that have been made in child healthcare in Canada and the personal journeys that children and their families had to take to overcome illnesses and injuries.

11-year-old IWK patient Matthew LeBlanc of Port Hawkesbury will represent children and youth receiving specialized care at IWK Health by sharing his story to support fundraising campaigns and events in the Maritimes.

Born prematurely at 32 weeks, Matthew and his twin brother Ben were admitted to the IWK’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. While his brother was discharged, Matthew didn’t have functioning kidneys. Matthew required dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant at 19 months.

At the age of 8, another kidney started to fail, requiring a second transplant in May 2021. Today, Matthew is feeling much better and is very happy to represent IWK as this year’s champion.

Matthews family has been sharing their story to support the IWK Foundations initiatives for a long time and they hope that their story will inspire others to support the organization.

A special celebration honouring Matthew was held at the Wal Mart in Port Hawkesbury earlier today.

Matthew and his family will be going to Orlando, Florida in April to take part in events during Childrens Hospitals Week with other patients and their families from across North America.