The journey of pregnancy and having a child is magical moment in a family’s life, and we all hope for that journey to go as smoothly as possible. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning on November 27th, Lauren woke up with inexplicable stomach pain that just wouldn’t go away. After a quick search while sitting on the bathroom floor, she was told by Dr. Google that if she was in the second half of her pregnancy and the pain didn’t subside after 30 minutes, she needed to get herself to an emergency room.

After an assessment and running some tests, the doctor had a terrible feeling about what this might be and ran them again. It was quickly determined that Lauren was suffering from HELLP syndrome/preeclampsia and needed to be transported to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto.

While at Sunnybrook the team did all they could to keep her as stable as possible for as long as possible to allow a steroid injection and magnesium drip to work their way to her baby, but after 15 hours her levels started to drop dramatically and an emergency c section was performed. Douglas Grant Cambrai Cowan was born at 29 weeks 4 days gestation at 7:22am on Monday, November 28th, 2022, weighing only 2lbs9oz.

While Lauren will remain in hospital for about a week, Dougie will continue to be in the NICU for months to come.

Connor, Lauren, and big sister Allana will need support to help navigate the long road ahead of them with traveling from Minden to Toronto in order to be there for both of their children. We hope to raise enough funds to cover the costs of the travel, accommodation, and supplies that they will need while Dougie is in the NICU and for future expenses for after he comes home. We are truly thankful and grateful for any and all help that you may be able to provide.