Victoria Leo's Back-to-Back Project reaches 270 comfort kits for Shriners patients

Five years after assembling her first comfort kit for a girl preparing for spinal surgery, Victoria Leo has built a project that has now created 270 care packages for pediatric patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada.

Leo, 26, was paired with the girl through a big sister program at Shriners in 2021, the year she had her own spinal surgery. Recognizing what the child was facing, Leo put together a kit — and the girl's reaction convinced her to expand the effort. "She had the biggest smile on her face and her mom was so happy," Leo said.

Back-to-Back Project, affiliated with Shriners, now focuses exclusively on supporting patients there. Each kit is tailored to spinal surgery recovery: a blanket because hospitals run cold, lip balms to counter post-surgery chapping, a reusable water bottle with a straw (neck movement is restricted after surgery), and socks.

A fundraiser held Saturday in Kirkland brought together people for an hour-long yoga and Pilates session — movement Leo chose deliberately. "After spinal surgery, it's best to keep moving. It's good to keep active," she explained. The event, decorated with green (associated with scoliosis) and white, aimed to push the count from 270 to 300 kits.

Leo, now a McGill University occupational therapy student, set a longer goal: adding 100 kits each year. Her motivation remains personal. "I just wanted to give back," she said. "And I felt for the little girl who I was when I had my surgery." Patients and their families continue to fuel her work — thank-you messages from children and parents remind her why the project matters.