A LaSalle father hopes you'll buy a blizzard from Dairy Queen on Thursday to support children's hospitals across Canada and kids like his son, Tyson.
August 10 is Miracle Treat Day, a fundraiser to support the Children's Health Foundation and Children's Miracle Network.
Every blizzard sold at Dairy Queen will raise money for lifesaving equipment for thousands of children, including many from Windsor and Essex County, who seek treatment at the Children's Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre.
Tyson Thibodeau was born 16 weeks premature and spent 129 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Weighing just 1 lb and 10 oz, he was born with underdeveloped lungs and spent a long time on a ventilator until he could breathe on his own. He had bowel and hernia surgery before he turned a year old.
His father, Jason, said there were many ups and downs during that period, but he and his wife, Kirsten, will always be grateful for the support they received from the staff at the hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
His son is now seven, a student at Ecole elementaire catholique Monseignor Augustin Caron, and a Child Patient Ambassador.
The challenges continue for Tyson. He has cerebral palsy, autism and epilepsy, but his father said he is also a bright boy who enjoys school.
"He doesn't let having to use the walker or wheelchair slow him down," said Jason Thibodeau. "He's a very smart boy who loves to learn new things -- The staff and the students at the school go above and beyond to make sure he's included in everything."
Dairy Queen has raised over $2-million for Children's Hospital London Health Sciences Centre, including more than $111,000 last year during Miracle Treat Day.
Children's Miracle Network raises money for 170 children's hospitals, 14 in Canada.