Overnight, Allison went from a complication-free pregnancy to sitting next to her preemie baby’s bedside for over 100 days in Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
On December 15, 2019, just 23 weeks into her pregnancy, Allison stopped mid-step at home — she was having contractions.
Her midwife advised her to head to the hospital. 
Within 25 minutes, Charlotte was born by emergency c-section, weighing one pound five ounces. Tiny Charlotte was immediately rushed to the NICU. Thanks to donor generosity, Children’s NICU had everything Charlotte needed, even with severe complications.
Through vital ultrasound technology, Charlotte’s NICU team immediately diagnosed her severe brain bleed and heart murmur. State-of-the-art IV poles allowed her to receive critical blood transfusions. Meanwhile, the comfort and safety of Charlotte’s Giraffe Omnibed gave her the temperature control and vital monitoring that kept her comfortable while her team placed two tiny chest tubes into her little body, saving her after both her lungs collapsed.
Each year, Children’s Health Foundation donors fund nearly 100 per cent of the equipment that saves young lives like Charlotte’s. 
With constant monitoring and specialized care throughout her 116 days in the NICU, Charlotte finally grew strong enough to go home.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, babies like Charlotte have all the specialized equipment they need to make it through their time in the NICU.
A special part of Children’s care is that donors help the whole family while children are facing life-changing diagnoses. Community generosity ensured that while Charlotte grew stronger with the help of donor-funded equipment, Allison could receive peer support in the Paediatric Family Resource Centre.
“The Centre was amazing to me while I was figuring out what kind of leave to take. Within a day, I went from working full-time to applying for Employment Insurance. The Family Facilitators were so incredible at helping me navigate what kind of leaves were available and printing all the paperwork I needed. Connecting with the Facilitators on the floor in NICU’s Pod was also amazing, they were able to listen and understand my feelings because they’ve gone through similar situations,” shares Allison. 
After 116 days of wraparound support for the whole family, Charlotte made it home to Aylmer. Now as she continues to grow, Charlotte’s favourite activity is climbing — she loves to be outside and exploring everything, no matter the height!
Today, Charlotte is a strong, energetic little girl – who turns five years old this weekend!
This holiday season, you can help ensure that more children like Charlotte celebrate so many birthdays! When you make a gift to Children’s Health Foundation, you’ll have double the impact! Thanks to the Charabin Family Match, a gift of $50 becomes $100, and a gift of $100 becomes $200. You can change the lives of children like Charlotte – what an incredible birthday gift your donation would be!
