Sainte-Justine Tree of Lights
17th annual campaign coming November 2024
The Tree of Lights: A Towering Symbol of Hope
The Sainte-Justine Tree of Lights is a spectacular sight to see in the days and weeks leading up to the holidays. Every year, your generosity illuminates the night sky as winter takes hold. Your lights bring hope and comfort to the thousands of children and families from across Quebec whose most heartfelt wish is for a healthier future.
Your Impact
Each of the lights on the Tree that you light up for $5 apiece is a ray of hope for young patients in the hospital over the holidays. Since 2008, more than $15 million has been raised through this campaign to support the excellence of the dedicated professionals at Sainte-Justine. Your donations are a promise to children like Lou and Jules that they will receive the best possible care, regardless of the type of expertise required. The donations received through Metro grocery stores across the province provide ongoing support to Sainte-Justine’s Social Services Department by way of the METRO Sainte-Justine Family Assistance Fund. This in turn lets them reach out to families grappling with the multiple challenges of their child’s health condition.
Light the Way for Them
Fred Pellerin and his daughter Marie-Fée
“Go home tonight and open up your Christmas presents. We’ll see you back here first thing tomorrow morning.” And just like that, on December 24, 2019, Sainte-Justine entered into the lives of Marie-Fée Pellerin and her family. The “horrifying” results of a scan performed in Trois-Rivières the day before left them no choice but to cut short their holiday celebrations and make a beeline for Sainte-Justine.
Marie-Fée Pellerin and her father, Fred Pellerin, were proud ambassadors of the 16th annual Sainte-Justine Tree of Lights campaign. Marie-Fée was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her teens. For all the families like the Pellerins whose lives have been changed by Sainte-Justine, thank you for being a Tree of Lights supporter.
Jules and Lou, brother and sister
Jules and Lou share an uncommon bond. They both have deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2), an extremely rare genetic disorder, with only 650 documented cases in the world. They are the first Sainte-Justine patients to receive this diagnosis, and there are many more questions than answers right now. The siblings are blazing a trail for others to follow.
Lou was only three years old when she suffered a stroke. Nobody could explain why. A puzzling succession of symptoms followed, the cause of which also remained a mystery. Later on, after she and her brother Jules, then three himself, developed severe anemia, their doctors had an aha moment. New investigations drawing on the interdisciplinary expertise at Sainte-Justine were set in motion to find out what was going on. They recently spent nine weeks in the hospital, after they both received a bone marrow transplant. They are back home now and hoping that this will prove to be a lasting solution.
Thank you for being there for them and helping to forge Sainte-Justine’s reputation as a top healthcare, teaching and research institution by donating to the Tree of Lights campaign.
Eli-Noah
In January 2023, three-year-old Eli-Noah developed a neck pain so intense that he could barely move. When things got worse and new symptoms emerged, he was taken to Sainte-Justine. The diagnosis was swift and devasting: there was a tumour in his neck and back. An aggressive form of cancer.
A genomic analysis of the tumour helped map out the best course of treatment for him. It involved surgery and high-dose chemotherapy, after which he received a transfusion of his own stem cells. Today, after 10 months in the hospital, Eli-Noah’s bone marrow is growing back… cancer-free!
Eli-Noah’s eyes never fail to twinkle when he sees the Tree of Lights all aglow. And it’s all because of your generosity. For him and all the children out there who need the expertise Sainte-Justine is known for, thank you for sparking hope.
Sandrine, pediatric nurse clinician
“I take care of these kids like they’re my own.” These touching words illustrate just how dedicated Sandrine is to her young charges. She loves her job as a nurse clinician. In her unit, she is in charge of children who require specialized care, often over an extended period of time. She listens to them, attends their needs and adapts her approach as required. Every child is different: they have their own personality, and they develop and heal in their own unique and individual way.
Health issues can dominate a family’s life. But hope has the power to conquer these moments of uncertainty and adversity. Together with Sandrine, you can warm their hearts by helping to light Sainte-Justine’s majestic Tree of Lights all the way to the top. Thank you for helping us and the children we care for grow beyond our wildest dreams.
AMBASSADORS
A heartfelt commitment to Sainte-Justine
Every year, we are fortunate to be able to count on our amazing allies to spread the word about the Sainte-Justine Tree of Lights campaign and get people across the province to pitch in. We are extremely grateful to them — and to all of you — for believing in a better future for the children and families in our community.
The Magic of the Tree of Lights
Le Grand sapin en direct
Tous les jours, du 27 novembre au 7 décembre 2023, ne manquez pas la mise en lumière graduelle du Grand sapin! Les résultats quotidiens seront dévoilés en simultané sur les ondes de Rythme FM, du lundi au jeudi à 17h20 à l’émission Y’est 4 h quelque part.
