Toronto-based Hospital for Sick Children has received C$15 million ($10.6 million) from Moez and Marissa Kassam in recognition of the care delivered to their daughter in 2023, The Globe and Mail reports.

Awarded through the Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund, the gift will establish the Kassam Family Chair and the Fellowship in Neurocritical Care and the Kassam Family Critical Care Award in Innovation, which will support early-stage research in pediatric medicine. The Kassams’ daughter, Mikayla, required critical care at the hospital after her pneumonia diagnosis took a serious turn and she was placed in a medically induced coma. The positive outcome and their ability to bring home their daughter in good health inspired the family to also fund a new position at the hospital, a nurse responsible for following up with families after their children leave the intensive-care unit.

“Our gift is meant to support research that improves outcomes for kids everywhere, including the hospital that did so much for our daughter,” Marissa Kassam told the Globe. “We were inspired by conversations with our doctors on what they would change to deliver health care better.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/FatCamera)