22q at the Zoo - Toronto Event
The International 22q11.2 Foundations’ Annual 22q at the Zoo – Worldwide Awareness Day (22q at the Zoo) is an international initiative to raise awareness about chromosome 22q differences. The Toronto event is co-hosted by the 22q Deletion Syndrome Clinic at SickKids Hospital and the Dalglish Family 22q Clinic. The focus of the day is for individuals with 22q, their families and Clinic staff to socialize, network, and raise awareness of 22q in the community. Participants also have the chance to join in fun activities with their friends and families and enjoy a day at the Toronto Zoo.
Our next event will take place at the Toronto Zoo on Sunday June 2nd, 2024! Please save the date! Please note that our date is different from that of the international event.
More information will be posted on this page.
Peer and Caregiver Support Group
When: Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 2 pm to 3 pm
Where: Online - This is a virtual group.
Two simultaneous groups:
- A group for parents or caregivers - an opportunity to talk to other parents and caregivers about concerns, challenges, and successes.
- A group for adult patients - a chance to meet each other, participate in some fun exercises and to discuss topical subjects supported by our staff.
All patients and caregivers must be registered with our Clinic to join in the group.
At this time, only residents of Ontario may participate in these groups, due to unfortunate limitations on allied health professions.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 by calling 416-340-5145 or emailing 22q@uhn.ca.
We look forward to seeing you!!
Transition Clinic
“How will 22q symptoms affect my life as I become an adult?” is a common question for many of our patients and their families.
The Dalglish Family 22q Clinic, in collaboration with the the SickKids Hospital 22q11 Deletion Syndrome Clinic, offers a 22q Transition Clinic several times per year. This program is one of the first in the world to focus on transition to adult care for patients with 22q. This full day program gives teens with 22q and their caregivers information about adult care and enables a smooth transition from the 22q Clinic at SickKids to our Clinic at the Toronto General Hospital.
Our most recent Transition Clinic took place on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. Our next Transition Clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 th, 2024.
Light up the night for 22q!
In 2021 and 2022, our Clinic successfully requested the CN Tower in Toronto to be lit up in red as a part of a worldwide effort to raise awareness for 22q. The CN Tower will light up in red again to raise awareness for 22q on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023! Please check out the photos from 2021 and 2022.
We invite you and your city/town to join this international movement of lighting up buildings and monuments in red on the evening of November 22nd as a play on the name of the 22q11.2 deletion and duplication syndromes. Some buildings may already have an online system for submitting lighting requests. If you do not find an online form, you can use the letter below to request red lighting for Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023. Fill in the name of the building and the city or town, then email or mail the letter to the government or organization that manages the building.
Tips for individuals who wish to send the letter by email to their local government or organization:
- Save the Lighting Letter 2023 pdf file onto your drive or cloud;
- Use Adobe Acrobat Reader (not your browser) to open the saved file;
- Type in the name of the building and the city/town;
- Save the file again;
- Attach the file onto the email message that you send to the government or organization.
Tips for individuals who wish to send the letter by post to their local government or organization:
- Print the Lighting Letter 2023 pdf file;
- Write in the name of the building and the city/town;
- Mail the letter to the government or organization.
If you need help, please email our Clinic at 22q@uhn.ca.
On the night of November 22nd, 2023, take pictures of yourself with the illuminated building. Post your photos on social media and tag them with #Lucesporel22q or #Light_the_night_for_22q.
Together, we will light up the night for 22q!
CN Tower lights up in red for 22q
The CN Tower will light up in red again to raise awareness for 22q on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023!
We chose November 22nd (“22/11”) as a play on the name of the condition, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (“22q”). The lighting of the CN Tower was part of the “Luces por el 22q/Lighting the 22q” international awareness movement that began in Spain in 2018. Buildings in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Finland and the city of Philadelphia, United States, were lit up as part of the movement on the 22nd of November in previous years. In 2021, Toronto joined this international awareness movement. We continue to be a national leader in providing care for families through clinics at the Toronto General Hospital and at SickKids Hospital, and in internationally renowned research into adult outcomes and genetics.
If you would like to light up other buildings or monuments to raise awareness for 22q11.2 deletion and duplication syndromes, here is a letter and a set of instructions to help you.
Please click the Google Photo links below to see photos from previous years: