Vaughan teen's dance-a-thon aims to buy ventilator for neonatal ICU at Mount Sinai Hospital

YorkRegion.com
April 23, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

When Cameryn Strolight was born on Feb. 27, 2001 — 10-weeks early — she weighed just 2 lbs. 5 oz.

She wasn’t breathing and had a serious infection.

Today, Cameryn credits Mount Sinai Hospital and the folks who work there with “saving her life".

And that’s why the 13-year-old Thornhill resident, with help from her family, is organizing a dance-a-thon for kids aimed at raising $60,000 to purchase a ventilator for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where she spent the first two months or so of her life.

“I was an early baby and I wanted to give back to the hospital,” said Cameryn, a Grade 7 student at Bakersfield Public School. “I wanted to help them get more ventilators and I wanted to give back to them for saving my life.”

Dubbed Pump it for Preemies, the event takes place Sunday, May 4 at The Avenue Banquet Hall, 1600 Steeles Ave. West, in Vaughan.

It will feature DJs from Bounce Entertainment, four cast members from hit television series The Next Step, along with food and beverages.

There’s also a slew of prizes up for grabs including tickets to see pop band One Direction in concert this summer, a VIP tour of the Breakfast Television studio and a chance to watch a live taping of the show as well as passes to Medieval Times, gift certificates and much more.

Taking part is simple: register online at http://pump-it-for-preemies.com, go out and collect pledges (each participant is asked to raise at least $50), then slip on your dancing shoes and let loose.

Although the event is geared to those in grades one through nine, children of any age are welcome, her father, Tomer, said.

“Our wish would be to have a few hundred kids, but even if we breakthrough 100 kids in the first year of doing this, we think that would be a great success,” he said.

Cameryn was initially moved to do something after watching video footage that her parents recorded while she was in the hospital.

Her resolve was further solidified when she and her family toured the NICU at Mount Sinai and saw the preemies being cared for there.

“She was just very emotional watching the video, really moved by how small she was and all the machines and wires she was hooked up to,” her mother, Melissa, said. “She went through (the NICU) and was very taken with the babies that were there and how the nurses attended to them and all the technology that was involved in saving their lives, essentially.

“That’s really when she wanted to give back to the hospital.”

She sat down with her family for a brainstorming session to try to come up with a fundraising event that would be exciting for kids.

In the end, they agreed hosting a dance-a-thon was the way to go.

And they’re planning to make it an annual event.

“It would be great (for kids) to come out and support Cameryn and the hospital, but also just to come out to have a good time and bring their friends – the more the merrier,” Mrs. Strolight said. “And be prepared to let go and have a great time.”

Pump it for Preemie takes place Sunday, May 4 at The Avenue Banquet Hall, 1600 Steeles Ave. West, in Vaughan.

Taking part is simple: register online at pump-it-for-preemies.com, go out and collect pledges (each participant is asked to raise at least $50), then slip on your dancing shoes and let loose.