Janessa’s impactful year as 2024 Champion Child

Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba celebrates 2024 Champion from Pukatawagan

Winnipeg, MB (January 28, 2025) – Janessa Dumas accomplished some incredible things as Manitoba’s Champion Child in 2024 and the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba is celebrating her impactful year. As the first Champion from a remote and northern First Nations community, Janessa brings meaningful and needed representation of the many children cared for at HSC Children’s Hospital.

From Pukatawagan, a community north of The Pas and about 800 km north of Winnipeg, Janessa’s story highlights the challenges children in Manitoba’s remote and isolated communities face to get specialized pediatric care. As the 2024 Champion, she represented 140,000 kids who rely on HSC Children’s every year – of which around 60 per cent are Indigenous.

“My year as Champion has been an adventure and I enjoyed every opportunity to help other kids who need our Children’s Hospital,” says Janessa, 2024 Champion for Manitoba.

Despite living in a remote community, in 2024 Janessa shared her story and the amazing work and research being done in Manitoba at more than 20 events. She inspired countless donors while also running her own fundraiser to support the Nephrology Clinic and Hemodialysis Unit. Plus, she represented HSC Children’s with other Champions from Canada and the U.S. in Orlando for Children’s Hospital Week in April.

Janessa shared meaningful moments with leaders including Premier Wab Kinew who invited her and her family on a special tour of the Manitoba Legislature. She was part of the Grand Entry at Manito Ahbee Festival and helped celebrate the largest donor-driven campaign in support of child health in Manitoba’s history when the Children’s Hospital Foundation Better Futures Campaign total reached over $86 million. Janessa’s impact has been felt throughout the province and beyond, and she was even awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal at a special event at the Manitoba Legislature.

At just five years old Janessa would get frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and would need to visit the local nursing station often. Without knowing what was causing the infections, Janessa’s mom Brenda and dad Gary drove to the closest emergency room in The Pas. The health care team there referred her to HSC Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg where specialized pediatric doctors discovered problems with Janessa’s kidneys – one was small and the other was diseased, causing urine to back up.

Janessa was diagnosed with kidney disease and her family eventually moved with her to Winnipeg for the most critical part of her health care journey – preparation for a kidney transplant. At 12 years old, in December 2020, Janessa had a successful transplant surgery.

After all Janessa has been through, she maintains a positive outlook, even naming her new kidney ‘Bob.’ Janessa’s health has improved considerably. As a teenager, back in her home community, she enjoys dancing and making snowshoes. Along with her family, Janessa makes the trek to Winnipeg from Pukatawagan every six to eight weeks for regular check-ups on her kidney health. In 2024, she combined those visits with speaking up for other children to ensure they get the same great care she has had.

“Watching Janessa grow from a young child battling kidney disease to a young woman representing all the kids who need our children’s hospital has been deeply meaningful, and she’s made such an impact,” says Dr. Patricia Birk, Department Head of Pediatrics and Child Health, HSC Children’s Hospital and part of Janessa’s kidney health team.

“Like Janessa, many of the families we serve come from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. It’s important we represent and understand the unique challenges those kids may face, so we can better support them.”  

“The Foundation is deeply grateful to Janessa and her family for bravely and openly sharing their journey to inspire support for Manitoba’s only children’s hospital,” says Stefano Grande, President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

“We’re thankful to Janessa for raising funds for kidney care at HSC Children’s, and her donation is the start of the Foundation’s goal to support a new nephology centre of excellence in the coming years.”

Stay tuned to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba social media channels @CHFManitoba on February 6, 2025 for the announcement of the 2025 Champion Child!