How old was she at the time of these excursions in to CA?
According to the quote, she was six, and it was long before Canada had nationalized health care. Sounds like, because of the proximity to the Canadian border, the closest place to have the injury treated was in Canada. Makes sense to head for the NEAREST location to treat the injury, which, if left untreated longer, because of a longer travel time to an Alaskan location, could have caused greater problems.