24/7 Care for 24 Hours: A Mother's Love, Compassion and Perseverance Honoured With Sixth Annual Heart of Home Care Award

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 7, 2011) - VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) honoured an exceptional individual – Baylee Levy of North York – this year's Heart of Home Care Award last night at its Toronto head office. The award recognizes the remarkable efforts of a friend or family member who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide a loved one who is disabled, elderly, or chronically ill, with the support needed to live at home with more independence.

"Baylee's love, compassion and strength are an inspiration to us all," notes President and CEO of VHA, Carol Annett. "She is a caregiver, she is a role model that her children can look up to, but most importantly, she's a mother who is incredibly proud of her son Sar, his struggles and his triumphs." She also noted that the work that caregivers provide is demanding, with lots of challenges and often isn't acknowledged by the outside world. "The Heart of Home Care Award is VHA's public way of saying "thank you" to all caregivers for the crucial support and devotion they provide to family members, the community and greater society," she adds.

Twenty four years ago Baylee Levy gave birth to twin boys weighing in at 2lbs. at 28 weeks. After her first son Gavriel was born naturally, Sar, her second son, had to be delivered by emergency C-section.

Unfortunately, Sar was critically ill from the start. "I didn't even get to see him for the first few days because he was too sick," says Baylee noting Sar was born with cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, and contracted a rare form of meningitis. Because of his medical conditions Baylee is a stay-at-home mom providing her son with what basically amounts to 24/7 care 24 hours a day. Baylee says she could have never prepared for a situation like hers and everyone around her wanted to give up. Baylee didn't know what to do. But as she notes proudly, "he sure showed me!"

Although Sar requires a lot of medical care and medication, which includes over 100 pills and four injections a day, Sar is happy, curious and full of life. Though Sar is non-verbal, he's able to "speak" through the use of a communication board he points to. He also loves many of the same things that other 24 year-olds enjoy including music, horseback riding and swimming. Over the years there have been many caregivers coming into the Levy home, however, the workers at VHA have been the most understanding and accepting of Sar, "I've been through many agencies but I've been lucky lately with the workers that we have from VHA," she explains.

Though the challenges for Baylee are numerous, she considers herself spoiled to have such a wonderful son and cherishes the joy he brings to her life. "Everyone needs a Sar in their life to remind them about what's important and to learn to appreciate the little things," says Baylee. She describes Sar as incredibly smart, noting his disabilities mask his underlying intelligence. "He's my number one commitment, my life revolves around him. And that's okay, it's what he needs," she explains. Baylee feels humble about winning the award and feels she doesn't deserve the attention but adds, "it's nice to be appreciated."

For 86 years VHA Home HealthCare (VHA)—a not-for-profit organization—has provided compassionate home care services to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds—at home, in long-term care facilities or in hospitals. From nursing to personal support to homemaking programs and rehabilitation services, VHA supports Ontarians to live as independently as possible through the dedicated service of over 1,600 professionals. VHA proudly meets national standards of excellence in health care set out by Accreditation Canada and is a founding member agency of United Way Toronto.