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See the little boy in the middle there? That’s Jaxon.
Jaxon had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, essentially meaning he was born with half a heart.
His mother, Kristyn Miller (pictured left), and her family knew Jaxon had a heart issue before he was born, but they didn’t know exactly what it was or what it would mean.
Very early in Jaxon’s life, things became very serious. He was listed for a heart transplant at five weeks old, and he received his transplant 80 days later, one day before turning four months old. During that period, he experienced multiple cardiac arrests and many difficult medical complications. The surgery was successful, but it had taken a toll on Kristyn and her family. She started looking for a community for support.
That led Kristyn to discover Circle of Hearts Family Support Network, a non-profit charity run by parents and caregivers of children with congenital or acquired heart defects. Kristyn made her very first post in their Facebook group while Jaxon was in Edmonton receiving his new heart.
Kristyn, Jaxon, and his younger sister Annica later attended their first Circle of Hearts event in 2018, a breakfast with Santa. Andrea Meredith, president of Circle of Hearts Family Support Network (COH), immediately introduced herself.
Andrea’s oldest son Parker was born with a coarctation, or constriction, of the aorta (main artery in the body), which had led to her involvement with Circle of Hearts. Kristyn and Andrea immediately hit it off that day, and Jaxon and his sister Annica followed in Parker’s footsteps and have attended Circle of Hearts’ Heart Camp every summer since.
Heart Camp lets kids with congenital heart issues and their siblings truly be kids, in a loving, supportive environment of safe adventure.
More on that below, but first, how is Circle of Hearts’ Heart Camp sustained?
Well, it’s largely because of Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba.
Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba, exists to help kids living with disabilities, critical illness, or living in underserved communities.
“We’re an organization that is very local but at the same time is connected to a larger movement across the world,” says Jeff Liba, CEO of Variety (pictured right). “Our focus is finding the gaps that exist at the community level, and the development gap is growing. It’s not insurmountable, but it continues to grow. Kids without disabilities or illness are learning and growing while other children cannot do that at the same rate.”
Variety works to bridge that gap through running programs, hosting community events, and providing families with grants for much-needed equipment.
Variety’s summer camp site, Camp Brereton, is a huge field for their mission.
“Camp is such a rite of passage for young people,” says Jeff, “including those living with critical illnesses or disabilities. They need to get out and have fun and just be kids. We want to give these kids an opportunity they might not otherwise get.”
Camp Brereton is the only purpose-built facility in between Fraser Valley in British Columbia and Muskoka Lakes in Ontario, meaning it’s the only facility of its kind for a stretch of 4,000 kilometres.
Variety hosts groups and maintains the camp facility, while the different groups provide staff and run the camp programming themselves.
“A set program wouldn’t work for us,” says Jeff, “because services for children with different needs are so diverse.”
One of those programs is Heart Camp.
Circle of Hearts is a family support network for children, from birth to age 17, who have heart disease. Virtually all the families involved have children dealing with congenital heart disease, meaning children are born with heart defects.
Circle of Hearts supports families through events, an active youth group, and annual family camp and youth camp out at Camp Brereton.
“Every year at family camp, the group paddles to ‘Blueberry Island’ to pick blueberries,” says Kristyn, Jaxon’s mom. “This year we actually ran out of life jackets, which meant every single person at camp wanted to participate. It's incredible to watch these children, who have defied the odds their entire lives, paddling independently or alongside friends and family. This tradition has become one of the most magical moments each year.”
“Both of my children have grown up with Circle of Hearts,” says Kristyn. “They don't know life without it.”
“A few days before camp this year, Jaxon and his sister Annica were ‘playing Heart Camp’ together. They were pretending to go to Blueberry Island, collecting blueberries, and participating in camp activities. They were recreating memories from previous years.
“That was incredibly meaningful to hear because it showed just how important camp has become in their lives.”
For many of these children, camp is the only time they get to forget about hospitals, appointments, procedures, and diagnoses.
“Our lives are incredibly medicalized,” says Kristyn, “In 2026 alone, Jackson has had 29 blood draws. At camp, aside from taking necessary medications, we get to let go of all of that. We simply get to be families.”
Kristyn recounted how one child was self-conscious about a surgery scar on his chest and rarely took his shirt off. At camp, surrounded by other kids with similar scars, he felt comfortable enough to do so.
Those are the kinds of moments that make camp special.
Cambrian supports Variety financially every year, and the partnership has existed for over 25 years.
“We truly rely 100 per cent on generosity of the community to fund the work we do,” says Jeff, “and we pride ourselves in being efficient with those funds.”
A portion of Cambrian’s funding goes toward Camp Brereton. A few years ago, the funding made it possible for Variety to build the camp a brand-new washroom. The new facility is completely accessible (the old one wasn’t!).
“We had the conversation with Cambrian, and you stepped up as you always do to be one of the funders for that project,” says Jeff. “Cambrian’s support is extremely important, and we hope you and our other partners know we can’t do our work without you.”
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