Fundraising for the Mending Little Hearts Foundation has become a tradition each February for Weyburn's Myla and Morgan Moule. Along with their mom, Jennie, and other family members, the simple act of baking delicious chocolate chip cookies helps make a difference in the lives of youth living with heart conditions.
Their latest fundraiser resulted in $3,200 raised by baking and selling 177 dozen cookies, all paid by donation.
To date, the Moule family has raised more than $20,000 for Mending Little Hearts. In 2021, they raised $2,574; in 2022 they raised $4,434; in 2023 they raised $8,035; and in 2024 they raised $4,040.
The sisters are now turning 16 years old, but, like many twins, they have separate interests and friend groups. Morgyn loves music and art, while Myla loves sports.
Morgyn, who was born with a condition called pulmonary artesia, a form of congenital heart disease that inhibits the proper forming of the pulmonary valve, hasn't had heart surgery since 2011, but will eventually need to have a valve replacement. She still visits her doctors in Saskatoon for annual regular checkups.
The Mending Little Hearts Fund, a designated charitable fund created in partnership with Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, provides camps for youths seven to 17 with heart conditions. For Morgyn, it has been beneficial to share in something special with other young people who have grown up with everything that goes along with having a heart condition.
She said she enjoys attending the hotel-based, doctor-involved, week-long events, to which families are sometimes also included for special portions, like bowling night.
"It's really fun for us to just be able to have other people know that they're not alone. We all have something similar in common, we all have heart conditions. It helps us, and the families, learn more about their kids' conditions and know that it's okay and that the hospitals and everything has our backs and we're good," she shared.
"It's great for kids to be able to go there and not have to pay a bunch of money," explained Myla. "Staying in a hotel for the week is a lot of money, so when we give them a little bit of help with the money, it just makes people's lives a little bit easier."
Morgyn said in addition to week-long camps in summer, they also have weekend retreats.
"Heart condition doesn't bring us down. We're still regular people. We're still able to do stuff that people are. But it's just kind of something that we all have to look out for, it's just always going to be there in our lives. It's just not as bad. We can go and have fun like others can."
"Doctors come and actually visit and help us out and they teach us, and we get to go and do stuff," she noted. "I've done a couple of ultrasounds in ECGs and stuff with them."
Follow their Facebook group, M&M's annual fundraiser for updates on future cookie fundraisers.
The interview for this article was done prior to its original publication on January 31st.