Glenrose Courage Award recipient Anna Siverns faces hurdles with smiles and jokes – Edmonton

A young girl who has had to overcome several obstacles in her life is being honoured by Edmonton’s Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital for her courage.

“I want to share it,” Annalise (Anna) Siverns told Global News when asked about her Courage Award. “It means so much to me.”

The Courage Awards are the Glenrose Hospital Foundation’s annual celebration of patients and caregivers at the hospital. Winners are nominated by Glenrose staff for their determination, positivity and ability to persevere.

Nine-year-old Anna was nominated by her therapists after a lifetime of overcoming obstacles.

After what she described as a “completely normal pregnancy,” Jill Ladan, Anna’s mom, said she had a placental abrasion and was rushed to emergency surgery.

Her daughter wasn’t breathing when she was born.

“I did end up delivering normally,” Ladan said. “But she was deprived of oxygen for a little bit.

“She spent some time at the NICU at the Royal Alex (Royal Alexandra Hospital) but they knew right away there were going to be some issues.”

Anna was officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 18 months old.

“Although her muscle movements are impacted by her cerebral palsy, she is incredibly bright,” Ladan said.

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“She is lovely and funny and just an absolute delight to our family.”

Her mom isn’t alone in that thinking.

“She never let things get her down,” occupational therapist Ciara Petkau told Global News after nominating Anna for the award.

“Even if things were scary or tricky, or she felt defeated, then she was still ready to go and try it the next day.”

Anna was first treated at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital when she was three months old. She’s been through various procedures and the subsequent rehabilitation since then and has been both an inpatient and an outpatient at the facility dozens of times.

“We sat down and we wrote down a list of all the different therapies in different clinics,” Jason Sivers, Anna’s dad, said. “There was probably a list of probably 20 or 25 different things that Anna has been a part of.”

The facility has become a second home for the family, and the staff have become a second family.

Anna has even come up with nicknames for her therapists.

“Anna’s got a wicked sense of humour,” said “Evil” Morgan Akins, who said that sense of humour and welcoming nature to other patients is why she wanted to see Anna recognized.

“She had so many friends from the unit,” Akins said. “Not only was she really brave in her journey and made incredible gains physically but also I think just her ability to connect with patients and staff and others is just incredible.

“I think she’s a good advocate for a physical disability not being the limiter,” Akins said. “She will take over the world one day.”

Anna has not let her diagnosis get her down. Her sense of adventure has led her to indoor skydiving and this past summer she completed her first kids’ marathon.

Although her parents know she is special, they said it’s amazing to have others recognize that.

“She was a fighter right from the word go,” Jason Siverns said. “To have other people see that, as a parent, is pretty overwhelming.

“She is an amazingly courageous girl.”

Anna will be recognized at the 2025 Glenrose Courage Awards on Nov. 4.

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