100Brokers Members voted and we are very pleased to announce that we will be sending a cheque in the amount of $3,150 to Walker Hopson-Okrainetz, Recipient of the 4th Quarter vote of 2020.

Walker was born on July 25, 2020 at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops via emergency C-section. He had to be resuscitated at birth and was flown to BC Children’s Hospital immediately. He has a rare undiagnosed condition never seen before in the medical field and has undergone 3 surgeries before turning 3 months old.

Walker’s ribs are fused, missing or deformed, which causes one lung to be smaller and constricted. As a result of his rib deformation, he developed scoliosis in his spine and has an S shaped spine. He has a perforated anus (missing) that needs to be restructured in surgery. He had to undergo a colostomy surgery in his first week of life and has a bag on his stomach. Walker also has only one kidney. His ‘plumbing’ is all incorrect. His colon attaches to his urinary tract and his urinary tract connects to his small stoma. He will have to endure another surgery within the next few months. Walker has a g-tube in his stomach for feeding as well.

Walker is only 4 months old, is fighting the fight of his life and will continue for many months. He has at least 3 more surgeries to endure which take him and his family away from their home and loved ones. If you would like to follow Walker’s journey there has been a Facebook page created, and the family will post updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/677942729738088/?ref=share. A  GoFundMe  page has also been set up.

Thank you to Lana Russell for bringing this Cause to our attention.

Nomination Story
Walker was born on July 25, 2020 at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops via emergency C-section. He had to be resuscitated at birth and was flown to BC Children’s Hospital immediately. His Mom, Shanine, was not able to join him until the next day and Myles, his Dad, was in Alberta working, so he rushed to be by their side.

Walker has a rare undiagnosed condition never seen before in the medical field. It was all a surprise to their family as they have another little one, Ridge, who will be 2 years old on November 30th, and is perfectly healthy. Walker’s ribs are fused, missing or deformed, which causes one lung to be smaller and constricted. As a result of his rib deformation, he developed scoliosis in his spine and has an S shaped spine. He has a perforated anus (missing) that needs to be restructured in surgery. He had to undergo a colostomy surgery in his first week of life and has a bag on his stomach. Walker also has only one kidney. His ‘plumbing’ is all incorrect. His colon attaches to his urinary tract and his urinary tract connects to his small stoma. He will have to endure another surgery within the next few months. Walker has a g-tube in his stomach for feeding as well. By the time Walker was 3 months old, he had already undergone 3 surgeries.

Walker came home November 23, 2020 and will be home for 3 months and then he will have a significant rib surgery where they put in magnetic rods to expand his ribs to allow him to breathe better. Once that goes well, he will endure another surgery to fix the urinary tract and anus. Once he heals from those surgeries, the doctors will complete yet another to reverse his colostomy. All of these surgeries take place in Vancouver, so each surgery and recovery displaces them and their 2 year old son Ridge, from their home and family. Shanine and Myles are mentally, physically, emotionally and financially drained. Myles is gone for 3 weeks at a time to work in Alberta, so that is also a challenge.

If you would like to follow Walker’s journey there has been a Facebook page created, and the family will post updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/677942729738088/?ref=share