It’s been a blur since we came home from Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Centre. After only one and a half weeks of being home, Mateo...

It’s crazy to think that it’s almost been a month since we came to the hospital with Mateo for a routine procedure that turned into a...

How to even begin to describe the feeling that I got when I heard that there had been a complication on Mateo’s procedure. I was just...

How to decompress from 15 days of complete stress, anxiety and exhaustion. The whole time being in the hospital is a roller coaster of...

It all began only days after Mateo was born a cold morning in August 2018. Kyle and I woke up to a bunch of missed calls from SickKids....

Life seems to be going a mile a minute in the VanderMeer household. In just a few weeks we managed to sell a house, buy a house and move...

Mateo has been doing really well. Ever since his last cardiac catheterization in November he has not been needing oxygen. This has opened...

Since Mateo was born Kyle and I were by his side. Having a congenital heart condition for him meant that anytime he cried he desaturated,...

It took about a week and a bit after the new diagnosis and putting Mateo on the ventilator for us to get sent to Bloorview. To be honest,...

Surgery and Recovery: after Mateo’s heart surgery on May 26th he had an amazing recovery! He was sitting up by the next day, even though...

Our sweet Mateo, where do we begin? We think what amazes us the most about you is that you are such a happy boy. When you look at us with...

Hi! My name is Heather, Kyle’s sister. I would like to proudly talk about my nephew, Mateo and how he has impacted my life in such a...

A friend asked me how I feel about COVID-19 and my answer was simple. I feel the same way that I have felt since finding out about...

It has been a dream come true to be home with Mateo for the holidays. We have been able to celebrate with family, wear matching outfits,...

Mateo had his third cardiac catheterization on October 29th, 2019. What is a cardiac catheterization you ask? It is a procedure where...

My name is Krissy. I am one of Anita’s friends, and a loyal Mateo fan. I love that Anita created Hakuna Mateo as a place where we can all...

Since Mateo was in the womb we knew that he had an arachnoid cyst. So in December 2018, Dr.Ibrahim decided that it was time for surgery....

Did you know that cardio vascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for nearly half of all non-communicative deaths worldwide? In May 2012...

My name is Elizabeth Rivas. I am originally from Colombia. I came to Canada19 years ago with my two daughters Andrea and Anita. When we...

I have so much respect and love for my mom and dad, and have always felt excited (and nervous) to instil the same feelings in a child of...