IWK Children’s Miracle Network Champion feeling 'great' ahead of Disney World trip

An IWK champion Ana Almeida chats with Matthew Leblanc, the 2023 IWK Children's Miracle Network Champion.

Earlier this week, 11-year-old Matthew LeBlanc of Port Hawkesbury, N.S., was named the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Champion for the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.

Matthew was born 32 weeks premature, alongside his twin brother Ben, and spent the first six months of his life on dialysis.

He was just 19 months old when he got his first kidney transplant from his father.

“It went very good. And then we got another kidney transplant when I was like, nine, two years ago, and there was a problem from that year. After that kidney transplant, my leg wasn’t starting to function properly, so I had to be in a wheelchair for a pretty long time and now I’m starting to walk,” he told CTV Atlantic’s Ana Almeida during an interview at the IWK for a routine check-up.

Matthew’s mother Tonia says, while times at the IWK have been stressful, they were always followed very closely by the health-care team.

“In my pregnancy, I had some complications. Due to them being twins, they were born two months early, but the NICU team just took great care of them. Ben was discharged five weeks later. He really didn’t have any complications,” she says.

“Matthew spent about three months in the NICU and then three more months on this floor, 6 Link. They did everything they possibly could to make it as easy as possible on us every step of the way.”

Two years after his second kidney transplant, Matthew says he is feeling “great.”

He will now represent other young patients who receive specialized care at the children’s hospital, while sharing his story in support of fundraising campaigns around the Maritimes.

“On April 3 I get to go to Disney World, which is very exciting. I get to be on more commercials,” he says.

Matthew and his family will travel to Orlando, Fla., to take part in events during Children’s Hospitals Week with other patients and their loved ones from across North America.

“We’re very excited to meet the other champion children. We’ve done some Zoom calls with them, so we’re excited to meet them in person,” Tonia says.

“We’re honoured because you meet so many families and there’s so many deserving families of this, and so many deserving children of this,” she added. “We’re honoured and we hope that we do the IWK proud and represent them … it’s truly an honour.”