Scarborough Health Network’s (SHN) Kids Care and Surgery programs are always ready to make the game-winning play for young patients, with a team of paediatric surgical stars who consistently deliver the best outcomes for kids. For two young hockey players, getting referred to SHN for their procedures was a real game-changer—the Network’s paediatric and orthopaedic centres of excellence bring together the top doctors, teams, programs, and clinics to provide the best possible care.
Anna Mulhall, a 10-year-old from Stayner, Ontario, was born with an extremely rare birth defect called congenital femoral deficiency, which caused her left femur (thigh bone) to grow slower than her right. Without surgery, she could end up having a significant difference in the length of her legs, which could lead to a severely impaired gait, hip instability, knee deformities, and potential complications like scoliosis (a sideways curvature of the spine).
Despite this, Anna began playing hockey when she was seven years old. As the years passed, she faced challenges with maintaining balance, and walking and skating for prolonged periods of time.
If her condition was not corrected quickly, her chances of future complications, including arthritis and chronic pain, would increase.
Anna’s parents got her on the surgical waitlist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), where she had been a patient her entire life. But when it was finally time for her corrective surgery last summer, the Mulhalls were informed that their surgeon was no longer available.
Better access and outcomes resulting from hospital teamwork
To help alleviate its surgical waitlist and help kids like Anna more quickly, SickKids partnered with five community hospitals in April 2023, working together to transfer patients who were able receive their care at a community hospital. That is how Anna’s case was referred to SHN—SickKids’ largest partner within the Surgical and Endoscopy Community Partnerships Program—which has successfully completed over 300 surgical cases from SickKids. This has significantly benefitted paediatric patients who would otherwise face months or even years of waiting for much-needed procedures.
Through this collaboration, SickKids surgeons may also perform surgeries at SHN when their own operating rooms are at capacity. In addition to increasing SickKids’ surgical capacity, it provides valuable training opportunities for SHN staff, ensuring a smoother transition for patients between the hospitals and enhancing overall care coordination.
“Partners like SHN have been essential to the success of SickKids’ Surgical and Endoscopy Community Partnerships Program, helping to ensure that children receive more timely access to surgical care,” said Jessica Ivan, who manages the program at SickKids.
“We have received such positive feedback from patient families about their experience being referred to our community hospital partners, and are grateful for the care, compassion, and expertise that SHN has provided through this collaboration.”
With the assist from SickKids and a longstanding reputation for excellence in paediatric care, SHN was ready to make the winning shot with Anna’s procedure.
Leading the line was Dr. Ryan Katchky, a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.
“We had been with SickKids since Anna was eight months old, and at first it felt daunting to go to a hospital we’d never been with a doctor we didn’t know. But when we met Dr. Katchky, he put our minds at ease immediately,” said Kim, Anna’s mother.
To help reassure Anna’s parents, Dr. Katchky explained that he had trained at SickKids and had a close working relationship with them, particularly because of the strong partnership between the hospitals.
“He won Anna over in five seconds flat. She was so comforted by Dr. Katchky and the kindness of the SHN team,” added Anna’s father, Mat.
Anna had her surgery at Centenary Hospital in July 2024 to positive results, and she was back gliding around the rink by October. Her story is an example of the positive impact SHN is making in the lives of patients and their families.
“By helping SickKids to free up resources for more complex cases, we are relieving children and their families of the emotional and physical distress that comes with waiting for a procedure, and helping get kids back to doing what they love faster,” said Lori-Lee James, Director of Surgery.
“We are providing a wide range of services—including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat, or ENT), plastic surgery, urology, and dental surgery to the patients coming to us from SickKids.”
Plus, MyChart Central East Ontario—a free, secure, online portal to view personal health information—gives parents who have MyChart the option to establish proxy access with their child’s MyChart account and link their SHN and Sick Kids accounts. This allows parents to manage their child’s health records from both SHN and SickKids securely, including viewing test results, immunizations, and more.
Rare expertise, right here in Scarborough
On Halloween day 2021, another young hockey player, 7-year-old Nolan Scheirich from Toronto was playing with friends on the school playground when he ran into a bench and dislocated his knee.
Even though it hurt, he did not tell anyone until he got home, still planning to go to hockey practice.
“I was expecting it to be bruised, but when I saw the severity of his injury, I went pale as a ghost,” said Scott Sheirich, Nolan’s father.
They brought Nolan to SickKids, where they learned that he had obligatory patellar dislocation. This meant that every time Nolan flexed his knee, it would dislocate, causing pain and sometimes even falling due to a loss of control. Worse yet, he was going to have to deal with that for some time, because the kind of surgery he required could potentially damage the growth plates in someone so young.
Nolan’s family spent two years searching for a surgeon who was willing to undertake the procedure and were referred to Dr. Katchky. Nolan’s mother knew they had found their clutch surgeon.
“He said he could do it. He said he would do it. And he said he was confident that all would be well,” said Layal Scheirich, his mother. “He was calm and reassuring, and both pre- and post-surgery, he and the entire staff at the hospital were there for Nolan and for us. It was such a great experience.”
Dr. Katchky says clinching the victory was a case of having the right skills and focus, and he was glad to have been available.
“Fixing dislocated kneecaps is done very commonly in teenagers and adults. But the pathology, and therefore the surgery, is very different in a child. Nolan needed a paediatric surgeon with the confidence and experience in this procedure, and I was grateful that my team and I could offer that support.”
The surgery was in April 2024 at General Hospital, and today Nolan is recovered and playing hockey again, stronger than before.
“I’m proud of SHN’s growing reputation for paediatric surgical expertise, and credit everyone from the administrative staff, to unit teams, to clinic staff,” said Dr. Katchky.
As SHN continues to provide families with the care they need when they need it, the Network’s exceptional quality surgical and paediatric care can be summed up in two words: All Star.
MyChart is an online tool where you can access all your health information in one place. Sign up today to:
- Establish proxy access with your child’s MyChart account
- View upcoming appointments, and use eCheckIn to save time during hospital registration
- View educational materials and discharge information from past visits
- Access medical information and test results
- Review healthcare history and prescribed medications