SickKids Hospital the real winners in Cruise for Kids tournament

Raising money for a worthy cause is a must for many companies; but for Titan Equity Group, it was a no-brainer to mix golfers with a passion for the sport that was equal to their passion to support an amazing cause.

Raising money for a worthy cause is a shared goal for many companies; but for Titan Equity Group, it was a no-brainer to mix golfers with a passion for the game that was equal to their passion to support an amazing cause.

This June, TITAN was proud to sponsor this year’s Cruise for Kids Golf Tournament held at Lionhead Golf Club in Brampton, Ont., says Kendra Preston, operations manager for TITAN Equity Group, with all proceeds go to the SickKids Hospital in support of funding research, state-of-the-art equipment, and facility updates.

But the “story behind the cause” for the Cruise for Kids Golf Tournament starts with Alison Cruise, says Preston.
Cruise was a typical active kid; but at the age of 5, a routine check-up revealed a heart murmur.

“Further testing showed that I had an Atrial Septal Defect, or ASD, commonly known as a ‘hole in the heart,’” says Cruise. “Shortly after diagnosis, I underwent open heart surgery to repair this congenital heart problem. A ‘routine operation’ with very good survival rates, the doctors told my parents.

The surgery was a success, and after several days of outstanding care, and intensive therapy at The Hospital for Sick Children, she was on the road to full recovery. Cruise went on to participate in a research study being conducted at the University of Toronto by Dr. Bob Goode, related to exercise and surgery, and how pre- and post-operative exercise can optimize healing.

“Prior to surgery and for 6 months after surgery I had to do a series of exercises (push ups, sit ups, running) to measure fitness level,” she says. “The results showed that my level of physical fitness improved to a level considered above average.”

That was in 1982.

Today, the Hospital for Sick Children has the largest paediatric interventional catheterization program in Canada. The very same defect can be repaired by inserting a catheter through the artery.

“Most children can go home within 24 hours of this procedure with nothing more than a small bandage on their leg,” says Cruise.
 

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