Inside the NICU

Our hearts are full (part two: Intensive Carolling edition)

There are so many amazing families who come through our NICU. There’s one family in particular we want to talk about now, and you may remember them from a wonderful  video they shared a while back. Today, we want to say thank you to Elsa and her parents for an event they held in support of our unit.
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Intensive Carolling just had its fourth year, and it keeps getting bigger and better. Elsa’s friends and family gather to sing carols together, and to raise money to support families in our unit. For many NICU families, hospitalization isn’t only emotionally stressful, but also financially stressful. Suddenly families are off of work, not getting a pay cheque, not yet getting any benefits, and somehow expected to be at a hospital with their baby for hours a day. So the money that Intensive Carolling raises goes to help these families … with  grocery gift cards, TTC tokens, and emergency funds to help those who need it most.
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This year, Elsa’s dad Rob was joined on stage by her uncle Chris, her good friend Ian Goodtimes, and special guest Seán Cullen. Talk about a supergroup! But the excitement on stage was well matched by the crowd, who enthusiastically bellowed out their holiday favourites.

To Elsa, Stefanie and Rob, and your marvellous friends and family, thank you! I mentioned “Intensive Carolling” to a mom who is in our unit now, and she said, “That is so kind! They don’t even know us!” And what I should have said, only I didn’t think of it at the time, was, “They may not know you personally, but they know what it’s like, and they care.”
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Thank you, all you lovely people, for caring!

About the author

Kate Robson