Giving back
William Chiasson: a story of resilience and giving
May 29, 2024
Affected by a rare gastrointestinal illness, William Chiasson didn’t have an easy childhood. But he found comfort in the Opération Enfant Soleil organization, which helped him build up his confidence. Today, William is happy to have the chance to give back to the organization through his volunteer efforts as a TELUS team member.
Not long after William was born in 1997, it became obvious that something wasn’t right. He could not keep anything in and showed no interest in breastfeeding, and his family grew deeply concerned. Finally, an initial diagnosis was made: William had been born with a rare condition known as pyloric stenosis.
Over the next few years, his health continued to deteriorate, requiring countless hospital stays. The doctors, nurses and other young patients soon became like a second family to him.
I had a lot of Christmas dinners and birthday parties at the hospital. I became really close with my healthcare team.
- William
Between the ages of 8 and 14, William had to undergo 21 abdominal surgeries, and his physicians quickly realized that his symptoms went well beyond the initial diagnosis. After a seemingly endless number of examinations, they determined that William was suffering from chronic eosinophilic gastroenteritis – an untreatable disease.
A different kind of childhood
As he got older, William grew increasingly aware of how different he was from other kids.
“When I was eight, I had a nasogastric tube installed to allow me to ingest food. I felt really uncomfortable going to school with that tube in my nose. The device didn’t always stay in place, and the other kids made fun of me. It was a hard time,” William says.
William at age 8 with his nasogastric tube
After a year, at William’s request, his doctors operated to create a gastrostoma directly in his abdomen. With this mechanism in place, William was finally able to feed himself discreetly, away from other people’s harsh stares.
A glimmer of hope
Through all those years, William’s family never gave up the fight. His mother signed him up with Opération Enfant Soleil when he was 9 years old.
William at age 9 at a conference in Quebec City with Francis Reddy
From the day I first connected with this amazing organization, my differences were less painful. Right away, I stopped being focused on my illness 100% of the time. At the hospital, your attention is always on your own healing process. Opération Enfant Soleil helped me to think of myself as a survivor instead. I finally saw a little glimmer of hope, something to lift my spirits a bit
- William
“From the day I first connected with this amazing organization, my differences were less painful. Right away, I stopped being focused on my illness 100% of the time. At the hospital, your attention is always on your own healing process. Opération Enfant Soleil helped me to think of myself as a survivor instead. I finally saw a little glimmer of hope, something to lift my spirits a bit,” William says.
Since then, William has taken part in the organization’s activities each and every year. As an “Enfant Soleil kid” for several years in a row, he spent time with a number of well-known Quebec celebrities, some of whom – including Alex Perron, Anick Dumontet and Alain Dumas – made an especially big impression on him. William became a full-fledged ambassador for the organization, giving regular talks to inspire the other Enfant Soleil kids and their families. He even went to the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, where he had his very own dressing room.
William at age 9 with Alex Perron, just before giving a talk
“Having the opportunity to go to the Olympics was really an unforgettable experience. Kids living with chronic illnesses are faced with a lot of tough challenges, so it’s nice to put all the tests and diagnoses aside for a little while and just have some fun. That’s one of the things that Opération Enfant Soleil did for me. They gave me the opportunity to experience some precious moments that I never thought I’d get to have,” William smiles.
William, then 13 years old, with his family on their trip to Vancouver for the Olympics
A company that’s always there
As part of his efforts with the organization, William went to Quebec City in 2007 for an activity held by the Capitales baseball team. During that visit, he learned about TELUS’ commitment to helping sick kids, and about the company’s social mission of using technology to drive meaningful change. He was immediately captivated, and formed an early connection with TELUS.
Many years later, William was ready to enter the job market. The choice was clear: He joined the TELUS Contact Centre team.
Giving back to kids and taking action to help them
Today, William’s health has significantly improved, although it still remains fragile. He now has the pleasure of being able to combine work and giving back through his active participation in the Opération Enfant Soleil Telethon. His employer, TELUS, has been working with the organization for over 25 years, including collaboration for its famous annual Telethon for sick children.
Among other efforts, TELUS encourages its team members to participate in the annual event by organizing an internal volunteer activity to answer incoming calls on the day of the Telethon. This year, William, like hundreds of other TELUS volunteers, will be getting involved to accept donations.
I feel very lucky to be working for a company where I can take action to support this cause that’s so dear to me.
- William
William and his dog, Floki
William has become a truly inspiring young man who wants to spend his life helping kids faced with serious health problems. He hopes that his own experience can contribute to making their lives easier, and help them to accept their differences and think of themselves as survivors – not just as victims of chronic illness.
“I’m just an awkward guy, but I’d do anything to help sick kids,” he says with a tear in his eye. “I’m so happy to be able to get involved with Opération Enfant Soleil, and to be in a position to give back today after everything they’ve done for me.”
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