Kinley with big brother Cohen man the lemonade stand to raise money for the charity Teddy Bears Anonymous.

Keagan Brown
Student Reporter

Teddy Bears Anonymous (TBA) raises funds for bears to give to sick kids in hospitals or ambulances in Saskatchewan. The organization was started by Luke Lawrence of Regina, in memory of his daughter and is run 100 per cent by volunteers and donations. The program is in 11 hospitals and 20 rural ambulance communities in Saskatchewan.

Kinley Hildebrant received her first bear July 3, 2013, when she was two months old. On July 15 of the same year, she was diagnosed with a liver disease called Biliary Atresia. Since her hospitalization she has been given 10 bears from the organization, five of them during this year.

She has been admitted into the hospital 12 times in total for having fevers (or liver disease related issues), due to the fact that with a fever, she could have cholangitis, an infection in her bile ducts that means a week of IV antibiotics.

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Twice this year, she has been admitted for cholangitis, as well as fluid in her abdomen. She is seen by a cardiologist, and her liver doctor in Edmonton yearly, and is followed by a hematologist, a gastroenterologist and a pediatrician in Saskatoon. She has also had five upper scopes to check for expanded veins in her esophagus and will continue to have this procedure regularly.

“Currently, Kinley is stable,” her mother, Candis Hildebrandt, says. “But her liver disease is still progressing, as she has high blood flow, low platelets and an enlarged spleen. She isn’t on a waiting list for a liver transplant, but if she starts to have more episodes of cholangitis or fluid in her abdomen, the doctors will have to look into whether or not they will have to start the transplant process. The longer she has her native liver though, the better for her, as there are always complications with transplants as well. With her enlarged spleen, she is kept from doing activities that could make her fall down, or get hit in the abdomen, as her spleen could rupture.”

Her family is hoping that her spleen will shrink post-transplant, and that her platelet count rises so she will get better and do all the activities other kids can do.

March of this year, when the family was collecting toys for the Royal University Hospital, Cohen Gartner, Kinley’s brother, decided that they should bring the idea to Kindersley. At Elizabeth School, Cohen got the whole school behind the idea, raising $455, with more donations from the public to make it $835 in total. This purchased a large case of 75 bears for children in hospitals.

“The community just keeps supporting,” Hildebrandt says. “Kinley is five and just loves the bears. It is such a comfort for the kids.”

At the Kindersley hospital, there is a donation jar where you can donate to go towards purchasing more bears and you are able to get a receipt for donations over $20. You can also call her mother, Candis at 306-460-7336 to see how else you can contribute.

You can also follow Kinley’s journey on Facebook: Kinley’s Journey with Biliary Atresia.

For now, she is excited to ride the school bus with her best friend and brother, Cohen, as she gets ready to start kindergarten in the fall.

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