Becoming besties with Savannah and Toni
Meet “besties” Savannah and Toni. The two teens met as inpatients at Holland Bloorview back in July during recreational programming. They quickly bonded, or as they say “and then history happened.”
This summer, Toni and Savannah, spent their days chatting and bonding with each other. While they have other friends in the hospital, clients and staff alike, these two do everything together and have a special friendship that is filled with inside jokes.
Savannah first arrived at Holland Bloorview in July following live bone transplant surgery. “They took out my right tibia and replaced it with the fibula from my left leg. I was fighting for my life,” she said while dramatically leaning back and placing a hand to her forehead.
Though she has a sense of humour about her experience, the twelve-year-old’s road to Holland Bloorview was not easy. In October of 2022 she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. She had nine months of chemotherapy in Kingston and multiple surgeries at Sick Kids, her last taking place just two weeks before arriving at Holland Bloorview.
Toni is fifteen and came to Holland Bloorview in June. While in utero Toni had a stroke, which slowed down growth on the left side of her body causing her to limp. Last year her family doctor recommended she see a specialist who recommended she have surgery to correct her left femur, which had grown inward as a result of her limp. Toni’s doctors referred her to Holland Bloorview to recover from surgery and further strengthen her right leg.
During their stay the friends really enjoyed being surrounded by hospital staff who don’t treat them like “little kids”. Toni and Savannah both claim that one of their favourite activities was to “annoy” nurses and other support workers, but Toni clarifies they meant this as a term of endearment, saying “I feel like I’m close with [my head nurse] Tina because we’re on the level that we can talk in Patois and be dying of laughter over funny jokes.”
Both girls appreciate when staff “level” with them and treat them like the independent, personable and confident young people that they are. The two are honest about how they feel, never shying away from the tough realities of spending their summer in the hospital, and appreciate when staff do the same.
As they walk through the halls the two wave friendly hellos to nearly everyone. From checking in with fellow inpatients, to saying “hey” to their therapists and nurses, they are clearly filled with gratitude for the relationships they’ve made.
Savannah is ever grateful to all the physiotherapists that have helped her reach her goals. “Thank you Lindsay, thank you Jill, and Karin, for teaching me to relearn how to walk. You were just so great to me. I feel like we have a great relationship and just a really close one.”
And their inpatient experience goes beyond the care they received here. From trips to Baskin Robins for a sweet treat, to meeting Toronto Argonauts' Brandon Barlow when the team visited Holland Bloorview - they found community in many ways.
When the girls talk more generally about their recovery, they each spoke about how impactful friendship has been on their wellbeing. “It made me feel motivated to have a friend and like I wasn’t in a hospital,” Savannah shared.
“I just laugh back at her jokes. It’s really nice having a best friend! It made me feel like I wasn’t by myself in this hospital. And I actually have someone that’s funny, that I can relate to and that I can hang out with every single day,” Toni expressed with a big smile.
Placing her hands on her heart Savannah said, “We have a very close relationship. I love her very much.”
Toni’s advice for kids and youth who are coming to Holland Bloorview? “You shouldn’t be discouraged so fast. You’re obviously going to make it out of here. No matter what don’t be discouraged about anything. And try your best to make friends in the hospital.”
