When we want we can! This concept applies wonderfully to Loic, who, despite suffering from a degenerative disease, managed to complete his entire high school career in hospital. A first in Quebec!
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Loic’s room is located on the eighth floor of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. It has become his home. He spent the first nine years of his life at home, in the Outaouais, and he has been hospitalized since 2012. He rarely leaves what he calls “his condo”, with his many memories on the walls. Loic has suffered from Morquio syndrome since birth.
“The enzyme it lacks causes bone damage. Also the sight, the heart, the hearing ”, mentions Anik Pilon, mother of Loic Bydal.
An endocrinologist is following him closely and hopes one day to find a treatment to improve his patient’s life.
“We’re doing research for genetic therapy at the moment. For Morquio syndrome, we are not there yet, but we hope soon that other solutions can be found, ”explains Dr. John Mitchell, endocrinologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
Nine years ago, Loic’s life changed. During a visit to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, his condition deteriorated considerably.
“He was having a hard time breathing. So they had to urgently intubate him. But thanks to that, he was saved! An hour later, he was on the train between Montreal and Ottawa, and there was nothing to do. He would have died, ”emphasizes Anik Pilon.
It was therefore from this moment that the hospital became his home. He was kept in an induced coma, and after two weeks he was paralyzed.
He has fears, but he must learn to live with them, he says. He is interested in everything, especially science, and he just graduated from high school with excellent grades.
These teachers from the Montreal School Service Center came continuously, in turn, to give him lessons at the hospital.
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This year, 325 young patients from this pediatric hospital have benefited from the same services.
“Sometimes there are things that I don’t know, that he does. So … he’s a self-taught child. Me, I call him my “little piece of cabbage”! ” explains Sahmadia Bouhend, teacher for the Montreal School Service Center.
In August, he will begin his studies in computer technology at Cégep André-Laurendeau. Most of the courses will be offered remotely.
On the other hand, he is bored to be around people his age. In a few weeks, Loic will have to leave the Montreal Children’s Hospital and will be in an adult center.
“When people say to me, ‘You must find that hard?’ Yes, but what I’m proud of is that on July 23, 2012, Loic did not pass away. He is alive. It’s not the same life, but … we love it, our life, ”her mother said emotionally.
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