Every year, about 50,000 Canadians, including children, will die suddenly because of a cardiac arrest. And 10 per cent of children with certain heart rhythm disorders are at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest—a condition where the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating and, if not treated within minutes, is fatal.

In order to improve the outcome and treatment options for these kids, Mining for Miracles, the BC mining industry’s long-standing fundraising campaign for BC Children’s, is raising $3.385 million to establish the BC Children’s Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre (CRMC).

The first of its kind in Western Canada, the CRMC will empower clinicians with the tools to better understand the genetic cause of heart arrythmias—and could also be beneficial for other life-altering conditions such as diabetes and cancer—in order to provide the best possible care to children in BC.

This is just one of the many cutting-edge initiatives that Mining for Miracles has supported at BC Children’s over the years.

Since 1988, Mining for Miracles has raised more than $35 million to support the construction of facilities, groundbreaking research and the acquisition of specialized medical equipment to improve the quality of health care for children in our province.

Whether it’s through individual and corporate donations from the mining community, or through annual fundraisers, such as the Mining for Miracles Pie Throw, this committed group has been a fervent and loyal supporter of the hospital for over three decades.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of this incredibly important effort,” says Dr. Wyeth Wasserman, former Vice-President, Research at BC Children’s Hospital. “Over the next 20 years we are going to witness transformational advances in care for pediatric disorders based on cellular regeneration, thanks in part to Mining for Miracles.”

This article was originally featured in the Progress Report 2020/2021.