Kids' Health Links Foundation
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Mission Statement
The inspiration for founding the Kids' Health Links Foundation (KHLF) begins with the story of two teenage friends. In 2002, at 15 years old, Christina Papaevangelou’s near death as a result of Toxic Shock Syndrome, a massive blood infection, compelled her family’s desire to make a difference within the healthcare community as a show of their gratitude for her life being saved. Two years later, in 2004, Christina experienced the passing of her close friend Katy, who lost her fight following a brave battle against cancer. Katy’s long and frequent hospitalizations sometimes kept her from friends and family, creating a feeling of isolation and disconnection. Recognizing that this sense of separation and difficulty coping with the hospital experience was unfortunately typical for hospitalized kids across Canada, Christina and her father, Basile Papaevangelou, founded the Kids’ Health Links Foundation and created Upopolis. The following charter statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) best captures the challenge faced by children around the world and the opportunity for our Foundation's work: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." VISION To be the premier nationally recognized social and clinical support network that connects youth and young adults and their health professionals to enhance their quality of life, grow, and live well. MISSION. Through inclusive and connected communities, we enable and empower youth and young adults living with adverse life experiences, chronic conditions, grief, and mental health challenges to improve their LIFE OUTCOMES by fostering innovation and knowledge transfer to improve care and well-being across all sectors and communities. VALUES: Compassion: empathy and caring for lived experience Collaboration: partnerships and teamwork are the cornerstones of success Integrity: We say what we do and do what we say Passion: deep belief and optimism in all we do Inclusion: equitable access, diversity, and inclusion of and for all
About This Cause
Kids’ Health Links Foundation has a singular focus on children & youth at the centre of our programs. We have created social technology to help chronically ill and hospitalized youth cope with their stress, isolation and loneliness while in medical care. Our flagship program is Upopolis, a unique, private & secure pediatric health space for children, youth & health care professionals. This peer-support social media-style platform addresses the isolation and anxiety felt by youth with long-term medical histories. It provides pediatric patients with: 1. A sense of belonging to a safe, secure private online community. 2. Affiliation by creating “spaces” based on interests or diagnoses. 3. Youth-friendly, age- appropriate, vetted medical content. 4. Affirmation via shared experiences with peers facing similar medical experience. Upopolis empowers youth at a difficult time in their life. It encourages and enables that empowerment by providing them with a safe place to describe their concerns and anxieties and learn about their diagnosis and care. KHLF developed this first-of-its-kind web platform. It is implemented, hosted, maintained, and supported by TELUS across Canada in children’s hospitals and other pediatric healthcare institutions. Typical users of Upopolis are chronically ill children and teens with longer-term hospital stays (Ex. Patients with cancer, Crohn’s and colitis, diabetes, kidney disease requiring repeat dialysis). Since its first installation at McMaster Children’s Hospital in December 2007, Upopolis has helped alleviate pediatric patients' stress, isolation, and disconnection from coast to coast. Today, Upopolis can be found in 24 children’s hospitals and pediatric healthcare organizations across the country. It includes over 25 diagnosis-specific ‘spaces’ for youth to connect and houses over 130 youth-friendly medical content resources. Upopolis also has engaging and informative videos that were developed by KHLF, specifically for Upopolis users, such as “Exploring the Operating Room”, “The Truth About PICC Lines,” and many more.