A Canadian man is camping in -35°C in memory of his daughter
An Edmonton father is fully embracing the bone-chilling weather in Edmonton this week to raise funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital in honour of his late three-year-old daughter.
Peter Burgess, the Freezing Father, has been camping in Edmonton’s river valley for the good part of a week now, and he’s about to enter the most challenging step of his journey as temperatures are set to plummet to -35°C overnight on Thursday (and that’s before the wind chill).
Burgess began his annual winter camp-out in 2017, and it’s his fifth year freezing in the river valley after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. Over the years, Burgess’ fundraiser has collected close to $150,000 in donations, which has supported various needs, including new high-flow ventilators for the hospital’s PICU unit and humidifiers.
A family’s heartbreaking story
Burgess and his family’s story began on July 25, 2007, after receiving a call from daycare saying that their daughter, Elan, was having trouble waking up from nap time. Elan’s colour was grey, her arms and legs were stiff, and her eyes were rolled back.
freezingfather.org
Paramedics were quickly called and got straight to work on Elan. They were told Elan had likely suffered a febrile seizure — a convulsion sometimes caused by a spike in body temperature due to a fever.
“At about six o’clock, three hours after we got there, Elan had a heart attack,” Burgess told Daily Hive.
Doctors at Stollery Children’s Hospital worked to give Elan tiny chest compressions as the family watched, horrified. Elan was taken upstairs to the PICU.
A second CT scan revealed devastating results. There was no blood circulating to her brain, and the toddler was declared brain-dead at the hospital. Two days later, surrounded by friends and family, Burgess and his wife, Candace, snuggled their daughter one last time as she was taken off the ventilator that had been breathing for her.
Burgess credits the Stollery Children’s Hospital for the support given to his family throughout their ordeal, emphasizing the care given to their son, Ben.
“They have counsellors, and they have psychologists and social workers and chaplains, and you know, I often say I’ve never been so scared in my life. But I’ve never felt so surrounded by love and kindness,” he told Daily Hive.
freezingfather.org
“But what is so important, and really, this is the message — is that we have the best of the best. And if your child is really sick, you’re coming to Edmonton, and you’re coming to the Stollery. If your child needs an organ transplant, you’re coming to Edmonton, and you’re coming to the Stollery. And you know, as a parent, you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
“So we do this for the Stollery every year.”
Freezing in the river valley
By the end of this week, Burgess will have spent 168 hours freezing in Edmonton’s river valley with a summer tent, a lumpy bedroll, hand warmers, and a whole ton of firewood. This week may be the coldest it has been for the Freezing Father, although one year, the temperature plunged to -38°C with the wind chill.
He noted the key to making it through the freezing weather is to stay dry, adding, “You want to be at least a little bit cold,” as sweating while temperatures plummet is a dangerous game.
And he hasn’t been without support from the community, as local chefs drop by to provide warm and delicious meals, and others come by to deliver Burgess much-needed coffee. Last night, Burgess spent the evening with his son, who’s studying to become an elementary school teacher, giving the pair time to reflect on their journey.
Candace Toews
As of this afternoon, Burgess has raised $7,775 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital, just over halfway to their goal of $15,000. Each year, the fundraiser honours various teams that make up the healthcare system, with this year’s focus on nursing staff.
“Our Stollery nurses, licensed practical nurses and nursing aids were there from the get-go, caring for Elan, her big brother Ben and for us very anxious parents. They lent a sympathetic ear, answered our questions, sometimes more than once or twice,” reads the Freezing Father website.
You can learn more about Burgess and his family on their website here. To donate, click here.
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