The City of Hamilton is working to open its first hospice for children, a move that parents of children who lost children at a young age say would’ve made their journey easier.
The decision to move forward on developing the project came at a council meeting last week.
Maria Wishart and her husband Andrew spent months at McMaster Children’s Hospital, supporting their son Jack in his battle against a type of cancer that causes overproduction of white blood wells in the bone marrow.
“McMaster is a world class children’s hospital and we need a world class hospice to go with it.” she said.
“We ended up living in the hospital for the next seven months, going through multiple rounds of chemo and a round of biomeds, and finally a bone marrow transplant,” detailed Maria.
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“With the bone marrow transplant it was successful except that Jack got a cold. And then he ended up with pneumonia and because his immune system hadn’t grown back … he couldn’t fight it.”
She says Jack passed away on May 7, 2017. In his fight, he faced aggressive chemotherapy and had to be monitored 24/7.
“Living in a hospital, that tiny room becomes your kitchen, your family room, your living room, everything happens in there,” Maria said.
“It’s not meant for that. At a hospice you’re gonna have a real bed, with windows that open and this hospice in Hamilton is going to be near trails with trees, it’s going to be beautiful.”
Danielle Zucchet, the CEO of the Kemp Care Network, says the hospice will be named after her son, Keaton, who died at the age of seven in 2010 after three years of chemo treatments.
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“We have a world renowned children’s hospital, and we do not have hospice services. And everyday that we don’t have these are supports that our families don’t have and it’s so important for us to get these doors open.” she explained.
Danielle says the future hospice will fill a gap in regional services.
“Keaton’s House, Paul Paletta Children’s Hospice, is a place that will really help to bridge the gap that exists for a family with a seriously ill child in our community. And help to meet them where they’re at through a variety of services.”
Kemp Care Network is looking to build the hospice next to Wentworth Lodge, a long-term care home on Dundas’ South Street West.
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The location would be around a seven minute drive to McMaster Children’s Hospital, something that Senior Director of Corporate Strategy and Pediatric Hospice, Doug Mattina, says will only benefit care.
“That allows us not only to have a continuum of care for the families… but also it means that we can share services, share costs and make this a nimble lean organization that is focused on the cost effective best care for kids.” he explained.
This comes after a city council meeting last Wednesday where councillors instructed staff to draft terms for a 49-year lease, with an initial proposed annual rate of $25,000.
The ribbon cutting for the new children’s hospice is set for spring, 2026. Those interested in donating to help reach the $2.5 million fundraising goal can do so through Kemp Care’s website.
