Dr. Alan Hudak, one of five pediatricians in the hospital's regional pediatric program, is medical director for the oncology clinic.
"Our program is all about providing cancer care closer to home whenever possible; chemotherapy, blood transfusions, regular checkups and overnight hospital stays if needed," he says.
Children begin their initial treatment at Sick Kids, but then receive months or years of the required followup care at Soldiers'.
The two centres remain in close contact through eCHN, the Electronic Child Health Network.
Both Soldiers' and Sick Kids were founding hospitals of this system that includes the electronic sharing of patient information. "eCHN helps to make it all work seamlessly," says registered nurse Anne Silk.
"If a child has just been to Sick Kids the day before, we have their lab results immediately, and vice versa."
The program ties extend to education, too. Anne, along with three of her Soldiers' colleagues, recently completed the American Pediatric Oncology Nurse course in chemotherapy administration, recognized by Sick Kids.
Because the pediatric cancer clinic is unique in this region, children come to Orillia from across Central Ontario in an area stretching from south of Barrie to north of Huntsville, and reaching to Collingwood in the west and Haliburton in the east.
The program has grown from just a handful of patient visits in 1996, to 138 the next year, to 833 in 2006.
Eight-year-old Cole Mattinson of Barrie has been treated at Soldiers' for acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.
"Having this here is tremendous. It's just been awesome not having to do all that traveling once a week or more," says his mother, Dawn.
Today is a big day for Cole. His cancer is in remission and after two years of weekly visits, his treatment is complete. He'll come back monthly just for checkups.
While there are no guarantees, the prognosis for Cole and most of the young patients treated in this clinic is good.
The cure rate for many childhood cancers is 80 per cent. "Ten years ago that certainly wasn't the case," says Anne. "So many advances have been made.
The outlook for many childhood cancers is truly amazing."
Still, a day like this one for Cole can be a time of mixed emotions for parents. "I think they're always scared. It's always in back of their mind," says Anne.
"When kids get to end of a protocol, a parent is sometimes more anxious than when they were on treatment. Then, there was at least that feeling of 'doing something'."
There are some mixed emotions for Anne, too, when the frequent visits are no longer needed. "I miss them," she admits.
"I miss seeing them. We do have a relationship with our patients."
That relationship is obvious as Dr. Hudak poses for a 'graduation' picture with Cole. "You have to be a kid yourself in some ways," says Anne.
"I think it helps to make this frightening experience as comfortable for them as possible."
