Annual Z99 Radiothon raises $445,694 for Regina’s NICU

The annual Z99 radiothon has reached a new milestone, it has now raised over $12 million to help save babies’ lives in Regina and southern Saskatchewan.

This year was the 38^th edition of the fundraiser.

It raised a grand total of $445,694 Thursday, all thanks to generous donations.

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The money will support babies like Matthew Cooke’s daughter Layla, who was born ten weeks early.

She spent around two months in the NICU.

Matthew, Samantha and baby Layla are proud members of the Z99 Radiothon family. Layla was born 10 weeks early. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“You spend a lot of time there, so you have a lot of conversations with the NICU team, and you kind of ask them what it costs and how much it is to run, and the numbers are pretty astounding,” Cooke said.

“Any support like this is huge. It goes a long way.”

Cooke himself donated to the cause, knowing he will help other babies just like his daughter Layla. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

He’s forever grateful to the NICU team, saying they became part of his family during that difficult time.

“They gave Layla the best care that they possibly could, so I can’t thank them enough.”

Cooke, his wife Samantha and Layla are now part of the Z99 radiothon family, but he wasn’t familiar with it prior to Layla being born.

“Instantly you can see why people get super passionate about it and they want to support it,” he said.

“We are that way now. It’s a very tight family once you’re in it.”

What is the Z99 radiothon?

The 12-hour event will see hosts Justin, Wheels and Shauna Foster broadcasting live from the Cornwall Centre in the Queen City. The funds raised through the radiothon will go to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation in support of the NICU, which provides care for 500 vulnerable infants every year.

Z99 radio hosts Shauna Foster, Justin (middle) and Wheels were live for 12 hours. They hosted a handful of guests like doctors, nurses and parents to share their stories. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Over the past 38 years, the event has raised more than $12.3 million for the foundation. Last year’s radiothon brought in a total of $511,698.

“That is an overwhelming number when you see the impact those funds have on the NICU,” Wheels said during an interview on The Evan Bray Show on Wednesday.

Wheels said it’s important to provide a boost to the NICU, because the specialized equipment used in the intensive-care unit can be very costly.

“When you’re buying equipment for the NICU, really small, important things get very, very expensive,” he said.

“Those isolettes – those little plastic containers that the babies are in – one of those runs $80,000 for one of them, and they have like 30 to 40 in the NICU. And they always need to be replaced and updated, and that’s just one thing.”

Volunteers worked tiredlessly all day collecting donations for the radiothon. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Justin said the NICU has touched many lives around Regina and central Saskatchewan.

“There are so many stories in the community, and we say it’s probably one degree of separation you are away from somebody whose child or brother or sister, aunt, uncle, somebody who was in the NICU,” he said.

Z99 is the sister station to 980 CJME.