Hello, on behalf of the Meloche and Gray families, we have organised a fundraising program for Felix Gibbons and his family. As close friends, we have been helping them through a very challenging time in their lives. The Gibbons family has suffered a great deal of financial, emotional stress and trauma over the past five months as their world has been turned upside down, attempting to balance their lives with Felix battling for his life in hospital. During this time, many have reached out, asking how they can help. Now that Felix is home, this family is in great need of recovery, rest and support from those who have followed their struggles over these past five months.

 
Summary of what the funds will be used for:

1. Financial recovery - Over the past four months, the Gibbons have endured a lot of expenses as Sheena has spent the bulk of this time living in hospital. Chuck has had to use a lot of unpaid time off to balance his family's needs. They have had to hire extra child care and endured many other related expenses. Their focus has been their family, but now they need to recover from the losses.

2. Allow Chuck to take a leave from work - Chuck has already used up considerable paid and unpaid time off. Now that Felix is home, the Gibbons need time to heal and recover. Further, Felix will still require extra care, medical visits and ongoing support. He will continue to need more time off. While they have great comfort now that Felix is healthy, they have spent months in an emotional state of crisis. The physical and emotional stress has left them tired and in need of family recovery. The greatest gift we want to give them is not money itself but to provide them with a season of rest and recovery, together in their home again.

3. Heal emotional trauma - The Gibbons believe in working through pain and trauma and would allocate funds for ongoing support through counselling and therapy. In Ontario, these services can often range from $130-$250 per hour. The cost can be a burden for many to seek help and recovery, and we want them to have access to all tools of recovery possible.

4. To love - This family has endured several painful and challenging situations over the past year. As friends, families and supporters, we want to Love on them. To help them take their mind off finances for a little while would be a great gift of love. Together, we can do that which will vastly aid their family's recovery.


The Story:
On November 27th Felix Joseph Gibbons entered this world with much joy and anticipation for Chuck, Sheena, and siblings Elora and Caden Gibbons. As some of you may know, their joy of new life was shattered when Isaac William was born without a heartbeat nearly one year prior. While overall, Felix seemed healthy, there was some concern that he was not gaining weight. Having already suffered the pain and loss of a child, the parents were overwhelmed but proceeded with great faith and anticipation they would come home with a healthy child. With caution, brightly-eyed Felix did come home, but it would be very short-lived.

Felix continued to struggle with weight gain and would go in and out of hospital care for the coming weeks. Felix was diagnosed with "failure to thrive" and after Christmas, he was in hospital and NICU care until late March. There were many difficult days during those months. In early January, Felix continued to struggle with weight gain and started to battle several infections. This would start a month-long and very traumatic period for Felix. In early Jan, Felix was intubated and labelled "the sickest child in the ICU" by the doctors. The Gibbons were faced with the harsh reality that Felix might not recover and that they could face the loss of a second child within a year. There were several days during this time that Felix almost didn't make it home as he battled infections, septic shock and the inability to gain weight.

Throughout these long and difficult four months, additional costs continued to pile up including daily and monthly hospital passes for multiple vehicles, additional child care expenses, fuel and maintenance costs on vehicles, food, as well as many other expenses related to the extended hospital stay and family needs.

Some might suggest going from the sickest baby in the ICU to being released a few months later would be a miracle and I know the Gibbons would agree with that sentiment. On March 22nd, Felix did leave the hospital. It can not be left unsaid that he had a multitude of exceptional technologies and medical professionals aiding his recovery during his most challenging times. He gained health through not only modern medicine but with the many prayers and acts of faith along the way.

When you see him now, you see a happy baby finally gaining much-needed weight, and you see a family full of gratitude that they have a healthy baby. What you don't see, which is why we are asking for some help, is a family recovering from months of trauma and stress and more mountains to climb. Because we know them well, they would not ask for help in this way, but as their friends, we know they very much need it, and we want to see them have the space to heal, recover and restore their family.


We were grateful at how many people followed this story and reached out during the preceding months; now, we get to help them rest, recover and thrive.

 
Here are a few more pictures of the Felix as mentioned above: