BC Notaries Speak Your Language

Watching your child grow up is among the great pleasures of parenthood.

For Vivian, pregnant with twins in 2019, the “giggling phase” is among the moments she was most looking forward to experiencing.

But one of the first and most natural milestones for her newborns became an immediate and urgent concern when Vivian gave birth prematurely at BC Women’s Hospital last November, at only 28 weeks-and1-day into her pregnancy.

The tiny boys, Kieran and Corbin, needed to breathe.

“Both twins were ventilated right after birth,” Vivian says. “Kieran and Corbin were able to move to CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) later in the day. Corbin struggled, however, and was re-intubated.”

With the support of TB Vets, the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has access to a suite of specialized ventilators to help premature newborns breathe until they become strong enough to do so on their own.

Some babies may need respiratory assistance only for a short time. For others, the help may last weeks. Corbin spent more than a month on a ventilator. Because of a number of challenges, he was placed on a jet ventilator, a machine specially designed to lessen the risk of trauma to a baby’s lungs.

Ninety-two days after arriving in the NICU and 5 days after his brother left the hospital, Corbin was also finally able to go home.

Corbin remained on a ventilator while the family awaited his surgery that would treat complications from a bleed in the brain. Fortunately, just after Christmas and following his operation, he was taken off the ventilator and moved to a gentler form of breathing assistance while he built enough strength to breathe on his own.

Ninety-two days after arriving in the NICU and 5 days after his brother left the hospital, Corbin was also finally able to go home.

These days, Vivian is able to enjoy the moments she had imagined during her pregnancy. “It’s a great stress relief to just make them giggle and relax,” she says. She is grateful to supporters who make it possible for hospitals to access the latest in lifesaving technology.

“Thank you deeply for your generosity,” she says. “Our family wouldn’t be complete without supporters like TB Vets. Your contributions have made differences not just in my family, but in the many families I’ve met throughout our time in the NICU whose babies have been given a fighting chance at life.” s Jason Howe writes and oversees communications in the charitable sector and is a former broadcast journalist.

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The Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada aims to improve the lives of animals by allocating donor funds to worthy animal welfare charities conducting innovative educational, research and public outreach initiatives.

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FONDATION DU BIEN-ÊTRE ANIMAL DU CANADA ANIMAL WELFARE FOUNDATION OF CANADA

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www.awfc.ca

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