How St. Mary’s saved a family’s holiday traditions
SMGH Foundation
- October 25, 2024
Kevan waited for his four-year-old daughter, Isabelle, to fall asleep in her hospital bed on the night of Christmas Eve. Then he gave his wife, Brandie, a reassuring hug and drove back home.
Kevan had a tradition to uphold: setting out milk and cookies for Santa Claus, who was due to arrive any moment with Isabelle’s gifts.
The family had had a typical start to their Christmas Eve: Isabelle had been playing with a dollhouse in front of the Christmas tree and planning which holiday movies to watch throughout the day.
But by lunchtime, she was doubling over with intense stomach pain.
An emergency room visit to St. Mary’s General Hospital – and subsequent transfer to the McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton – put the family’s holiday celebrations on hold.
“Spending Christmas Eve in a hospital was the furthest thing from our minds when the day started,” Kevan said.
In an instant, our plans changed.
The hospital next door
The pain in Isabelle’s stomach came on fast and strong. It would fade away, then come again. Perplexed by the symptoms, Kevan and Brandie took Isabelle to St. Mary’s, not far from their home.
An ultrasound revealed intussusception, a serious condition in which part of the intestine folds inward, blocking food and liquid from passing through.
The painful ailment can lead to life-threatening complications.
Dr. Haseeb Naveed, the ER physician at St. Mary’s, called McMaster Children’s Hospital to let them know the family was on its way.
After a minimally invasive procedure in Hamilton, Isabelle was sent to a recovery room for the night. On Christmas morning, she returned to Kitchener in time for breakfast and gift-opening with her parents and sister Brooklynn.
“St. Mary’s found the problem, they saved our daughter,” Kevan said. “They gave her a magical Christmas.”
The whole ordeal, from Isabelle’s first symptoms to her discharge, took less than 24 hours.
Personal touches
From the moment the family arrived at St. Mary’s, Kevan and Brandie felt the warmth of compassionate care.
They felt it when the triage nurse gave Isabelle a toy to take home, when ER staff explained the girl’s ultrasound in a way she could understand, and when Dr. Naveed answered their questions with empathy and honesty.
“I call it a personal touch, but that doesn’t even do it justice,” Kevan said. “It’s connecting with your fellow person; it’s making a little girl smile on the most frightening day of her life."
It’s treating her like family.
A new tradition
While the care at St. Mary’s and Hamilton allowed Isabelle to continue her holiday traditions, it also added a new one for Kevan and Brandie.
“Every Christmas from now on, we’ll think about and be thankful for the care that saved our daughter.
It’s our Christmas miracle that we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives.
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