Pictured: Avery with her two favourite teddy bears, Peanut Butter (left) and Jelly (right). Avery received Jelly through the donor-funded Teddy Bears with Heart Program at the QEII. Jelly holds a recording of her late father Rob's heartbeat.
For Tasha Keith and her ten-year-old daughter, Avery, life in Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia looks very different from just over a year ago. In October 2023, Tasha’s husband of 30 years, Rob, passed away from brain cancer.
Now adjusting to life without her partner, Tasha is back to her career as a technology director for a global company while raising Avery.
“There's been a lot of adjustments. Rob and I were pretty close," Tasha says. Between work, school, and everyday life, she and Avery stay busy with their shared love of skiing, travelling, and exploring new activities around Halifax.
Through it all, Tasha has found a new purpose in giving back to her community, through organizations like Hospice Halifax and the QEII Foundation.
“It has been incredibly healing for Avery and me to stay involved with the organizations who supported us so much during the hardest time of our lives,” she explains.
“It is important to me to help give back any way I can so that these organizations can be there for others the way they were for us.”
Her journey of giving back led Tasha to join our community of QEII Change Makers, donors who make a lasting difference for care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre through monthly gifts. This decision was deeply personal, inspired by a moment at the QEII that she and Avery will never forget.
At one point during Robert’s cancer journey, he was in critical condition and was staying in the QEII’s ICU. Avery, who was eight at the time, came to visit him.
“I didn't know if he was going to make it, so it was a very emotional time," explains Tasha. "Avery brought her teddy bear with her to see her daddy. Not even a few minutes later, staff appeared with another teddy bear."
This special bear carried Robert’s heartbeat inside.
"The new teddy bear gave Avery a tiny bit of joy and comfort in a sad time. And me, too. It was so special that she received it,” says Tasha.
This touching moment was possible because of the QEII’s Teddy Bears with Heart Program. Thanks to generous QEII Foundation donors, this unique initiative allows QEII healthcare teams to insert recordings of the heartbeats of critically ill patients into teddy bears, creating a lasting keepsake for families who will be left behind.
Dr. Sarah McMullen, physician in the QEII’s Department of Critical Care, assistant professor at Dalhousie University, and co-lead of the Teddy Bears with Heart Program shares how much this heartfelt initiative has positively affected the hospital experience for patients and families over the years:
“The bears are one of the first things care providers think of with younger families. I have witnessed families benefit from the gift of a Teddy Bear with Heart, as one of the tangible memories of their loved one.”
“The heartbeat seems to answer a primal need to feel connected with a loved one, and I have been moved to tears witnessing the response to receiving one of these gifts,” she shares.
For Tasha, supporting this program as a QEII Change Maker was an easy choice.
As a QEII Change Maker, Tasha can choose any QEII care area to direct her monthly gifts towards. By supporting Teddy Bears with Heart, she hopes other children and families can benefit.
“I know that each month, sadly, there’s a child out there going through a really hard time, but through my gift, they’re able to receive a teddy bear, and that’s important to me,” Tasha says.
“I like monthly giving because it’s a way I can ensure this is happening automatically, and because of me, 12 bears will be given this year.”
Beyond the teddy bear that Tasha received, she explains that many other moments of compassionate care from QEII care teams have made a lasting impression.
About 18 months before his brain cancer diagnosis, a previously healthy Robert experienced a sudden and severe heart attack.
“That was another very critical situation. But the QEII was there for us when we needed it at our worst times,” Tasha explains.
From a comforting cup of tea provided by a nurse when Rob was in critical condition to the warm smiles of recognition from healthcare staff – even during masking requirements – these small gestures meant so much during difficult times.
When Rob was later diagnosed with brain cancer and was undergoing treatment, Tasha shares that QEII experts supported him with exceptional care. QEII physiotherapy staff went above and beyond to help him achieve a simple but deeply meaningful goal – walking Avery to school a few more times.
“They did everything in their power to help him do that,” Tasha says.
Even after Rob’s passing, QEII staff involved in his care reached out with heartfelt messages and donations in his memory.
For Tasha, sharing her family’s story and giving back as a QEII Change Maker is her way of highlighting the importance of Teddy Bears with Heart and the incredible, compassionate care her family experienced at the QEII.
“People may think they can’t make a big difference if they can’t donate a lot of money, but even a small contribution like the $40 it takes to provide a bear can change a child’s experience at the hospital,” she says.
Her story is already inspiring others to give back.
Inspired by Tasha’s experience, her neighbours rallied to support her efforts. In 2024, instead of exchanging gifts in their annual Secret Santa tradition, they all donated to Teddy Bears with Heart.
“They were able to provide eight bears, knowing that their contribution would bring comfort to other families going through something similar,” Tasha explains.
Throughout grief and change, the little things often remind us that we’re not alone – like kindness from our community and the power of compassionate health care.
Tasha shares that Avery still has her beloved bear, named Jelly, by her side, a lasting symbol of kindness that once brought comfort during an unimaginably difficult time.
For Tasha and her family, that same kindness continues to come full circle through Teddy Bears with Heart. Her generosity, along with that of other donors, is felt deeply – not just by the families who receive these special bears – but also by the QEII care providers who witness their impact firsthand.
“It feels heartwarming to know that families are touched enough to, in turn, provide a donation,” says Dr. McMullen.
“It is so generous of them to think of others despite their profound grief.”
Become a QEII Change Maker and support a QEII care area close to you each month. Or, make a one-time donation to Teddy Bears with Heart through our QEII Better Care Gift Catalogue.
