Press

This article was originally published in the Burnaby Now (cover) and The New Westminster Record (page 3) on October 18, 2008. It was written by Jennifer Moreau, and the photograph of Melinda and Madelin was taken by Larry Wright.

'How Lucky We Are'

Close call for baby Madelin inspires mom to start a blog to help raise funds for baby beds at Royal Columbian

Burquitlam resident Melinda Fabbro was well into labour at Royal Columbian Hospital when something went wrong with her baby.

"She wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving, she wasn't responding," Melinda said of her only child, Madelin. "I was in the 32nd hour of labour. I was basically sleeping between contractions."

The sudden, dramatic drop in Madelin's heart rate gave the mom a second wind.

"All I could think was my baby's heart rate has dropped, she's got to get out, I don't care what it takes," she recalled. Madelin's oxygen rate was improving, but she wasn't out of the clearing yet.

The doctors decided to do a vacuum delivery to help pull the baby out, and one of the doctors helped Madelin take her first breath.

Everything seemed fine, but a nurse thought the newborn looked blue, and tests showed she still had low oxygen levels.

At seven pounds and eight ounces, Madelin was admitted to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, where she recovered.

That was Nov. 6, 2007.

"I saw all these other little babies, some of them weighing under a pound with tubes everywhere. It just made me realize ... how lucky we are," Melinda said.

And to mark Madelin's birthday, Melinda has decided to forgo gifts in favour of donations to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation for a co-bedding crib, a special bed for multiple babies.

"If we didn't have the type of health care we have, she wouldn't have made it," Melinda said, adding the thought of Madelin's first birthday gets her emotional. "I thought we could use the money for something, for a greater good."

Melinda set up a blog to encourage donations via Canada Helps, a website that helps connect donors with causes. Anyone can donate to the co-bedding crib, but most contributors have been Melinda's family and friends. The goal is to raise $8,165, and so far the campaign has raised $1,726.

Even though Melinda didn't have twins, she wants to help the hospital get a crib that allows for multiple babies to be cared for together.

"If you look at the long list of equipment that the hospital needs, if we are able to cross one of those off, other money can go to other things," she said.

Susie Poulsen, spokesperson for the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, said the campaign is "absolutely fantastic."

"This is what the role of the foundation really is all about," she said. "We're blessed with these stories on a regular basis."

Poulsen pointed out that Royal Columbian is one three hospitals in the province that provides specialized care for critically ill and premature babies. Each year, about 2,800 babies are born at Royal Columbian, and 700 are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

The co-bedding crib is on the foundation's list of urgently needed items, some of which have been funded already.

On her blog, Melinda wrote a letter to her daughter explaining her reason for the campaign: "Spending the first day of your life in the ICU (intensive care unit) reaffirmed for us how fragile and precious life is and that even the smallest of us must fight for it," she wrote.

Melinda will also be selling chocolate covered almonds to help raise more money. Readers can get in touch with Melinda through her blog page at www.the1sttogiveback.blogspot.com.

To make a donation through Canada Helps, a safe and secure website, please click here.

To view "Letter to Madelin", please click here.