Meet William Wild, Hospitals of Regina Foundation’s newest pediatric ambassador.

William is 10 years old and has been fundraising for our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) through the Z99 Radiothon and Hospitals of Regina Foundation for five years. To date, he has raised $11,502 by selling his home-baked cookies.

It all started when his school launched their annual fundraising drive in 2020 to support our NICU in the Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care, at Regina’s General Hospital.

With his mom's help, William sells his cookies to family and friends, as well as to his mom’s work colleagues. He then donates his sales to the school's overall Z99 Radiothon fundraiser. Every year, William raises the most money in his school, and he was excited to have his sister, Anna, aged seven, join him in 2026.

“It feels good to help other babies, like my cousin Karson who was also a NICU baby like me,” says William. “It doesn’t matter how much I raise, because any amount of money helps the babies.”

Not only is William’s philanthropy inspiring, but so is his own story of needing our NICU.

When he was just seven weeks old, baby William began having trouble breathing. He spent 12 days in our NICU, where doctors finally diagnosed him with Pierre Robin sequence. Babies born with Pierre Robin sequence have a smaller jaw and a cleft palate, and commonly experience breathing and feeding difficulties early on due to the tongue’s position.

In William’s case, his tongue was sitting too far back in his throat, regularly blocking his airway. He required specialized care, which he received in Edmonton. When William returned home, he still needed support from our NICU and required oxygen every night. At nine months old, he returned to Edmonton for special jaw extension surgery.

Today, William is healthy and active. He says he is happy to fundraise so other babies can have the same care he had. “I want to raise as much money as I can,” he says.

William’s mom, Christina, is in awe of her son. “We are so proud of him. He took this on all by himself!”

“We are honoured to have William as one of our pediatric ambassadors,” says Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “He is courageous, thoughtful, and he is inspiring other people and kids to support children’s health care. He sets an example for all of us about the importance of good local health care and giving back to our community.”