- S
- C
In our recent tragic loss of our daughter Angel Betty Dorothy Sandbach, we would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and support through this extremely difficult time. Mike, Lucas and myself(Jen) have decided to set up a gofundme page in honor of our daughter and for our son Cooper Michael Sandbach. We will be donating half of the money raised to the NICU at CHEO and the other half will help us cover expenses. In doing so we would like to share "Our Story" with all of you.
It all began the Summer of 2016 when our paths crossed at the Havelock Jamboree. It sounds crazy but it was love at first sight. We spent a very short time together throughout the weekend. Early Sunday morning Mike found my trailer and I woke up to him in my room asking me to breakfast at the local diner in town. I had never been so happy to wake up so early in the morning! At breakfast we exchanged phone
numbers and talked about how we both wanted to keep in contact and get to know each other more. Over the next week we talked on the phone and exchanged texts constantly. We had to agree to met at my cottage the following weekend because it was a halfway point for the both of us. It was a huge step for the both us because Mike would be meeting my son Lucas and my parents that weekend. From that moment on we instantly became a family of three. The weeks following Mike spent his time traveling from Peterborough to Richmond to be with us. Before we knew it he had packed up all of his belongings with his two dogs Buddy and Lucy and moved in with Lucas, me and our dog Tucker.
In October the discussion about expanding our family began and we decided we wanted a baby, a few months had passed with no success. Time was going by so quickly and we were all excited for our First Christmas
together. It was that morning we both got the best gift, we found out we were expecting a baby! We weren't to sure how Lucas was going to handle the news so we decided to keep it a secret for awhile. As time passed we announced our news to Lucas that he was going to be a big brother and he was so excited and couldn't wait to find out if he was going to have a little brother or sister.
Just like that it was August 18, 2017 and we were celebrating our 1 year Anniversary and the following week on August 25, 2017 we welcomed our beautiful healthy baby boy Hunter Gordon Sandbach into our lives. We were now a family of four. Our first year together was busy and full of new and exciting things and we couldn't wait to start our second chapter together.
Four months later on Boxing Day, I announced to Mike that we were expecting again. Both of us were so excited about our growing family we shared the good news with Lucas right away. This time Lucas was not happy he was going to be a big brother again but decided if it was a girl he would be okay with it. We soon learned we were having another boy and he was expected on August 22, 2018 just 3 days before Hunters 1st Birthday. Lucas insisted that he got to name our newest addition because he didn't get a sister. With just giving birth and learning we were expecting again we had choices to make. Do I take the whole year off to be with Hunter? or do I return back to work early and try to collect enough hours for maternity leave again? We decided I would continue my current maternity leave with Hunter. Then I would return back to work after I was done recovery from our third son. Mike would then take maternity leave to be home with Hunter and our new baby boy to be.
On June 28, 2018 our worlds would be changed in a moment. I was 31 weeks plus 5 days along, we still had 9 weeks left and I was in labour. My dad was on his way to look after Lucas and Hunter while Mike drove us to the Queensway Carleton Hospital. It was around 8pm when we got to the hospital and we were rushed right to the Birthing Unit. I was prepped for an emergency C-Section and Cooper Michael Sandbach was born at 10:18pm weighing 4lbs 2oz. They immediately started chest compressions for 5 minutes, the CHEO paramedics took over to get him transported to the NICU at CHEO. Mike followed the Ambulance to CHEO and I was alone in recovery.
The next morning I was released on very strict conditions and Mike and I were on our way to CHEO to be with Cooper. We had no idea the road we were about to travel on with Coopers recovery. We were warned by
the doctors right away that things didn't look great for Cooper's future. Every morning we would meet with the doctors and nurses for their debriefing on the next step for Cooper. Everyday he was getting some sort of test done. Some days we were given good news with his recovery but then it seemed he would take a turn for the worse. After a few weeks we were told Cooper had developed a severe brain bleed on the right and left side of his brain and another small bleed at the back of his head, they classed it as a Bilateral Grade 3 bleed IVH(4 being the worse). The next step was to monitor him closely to see how things would progress. After a few days he was scheduled for surgery and had a permanent frontal VP shunt put in. Cooper was on his road to recovery, our entire summer was spent at CHEO. We attended every morning debriefing Cooper's progress with the doctors and nurses, then we would hang out there with him to lunch time and head back home for the afternoon. After dinner we would head back and spend the evening with
him and most nights we would take turns staying with him. One week before our 2nd Anniversary we got the best news ever, they were releasing Cooper from the NICU and he could finally come home.
Our first weekend all together we went to the cottage and celebrated our second anniversary with some family and friends and Mike proposed. By this time my maternity leave was over and was granted a few months extension to cope with the struggles we had just went through with Cooper. Mike had enough hours to take 6 months of maternity leave and I was on the hunt for a new job while he stayed home with the boys. Soon after returning back to work we found out we were expecting again! The news came as a complete shock but once again we were excited to have one last member added to our family. We had faced every challenge given us that year the best we could and
stuck beside each other the whole time. Our love and strength had only grown stronger.
We quickly learned at our first ultrasound that I was further along than what we had expected and our newest member would be due on June 8th, 2019. The time came and we found out we were expecting a girl! Lucas was so excited to finally have his baby sister. Everything was going well with the pregnancy considering our scare we had with Cooper being born premature and requiring a shunt. Then on the morning of February 28th, 2019 I woke up around 12am with bad cramps. Hoping the cramps would pass, the pain only got stronger and more frequent. Mike woke up, I was on the phone with my parents asking them to get to our house to watch Lucas, Hunter and Cooper I was sure I was in labour. By 2am we were at the Queensway Carleton Hospital I was already 5cm dilated and they were making arrangements to transport us to the
Ottawa General Campus to deliver. Plans were quickly cancelled our baby girl was making her way into this world. They quickly rushed us into delivery room and at 2:47 am Angel Betty, Dorothy Sandbach was born weighing 2lbs. Cheo paramedics arrived moments later and started working on her lungs and reassured us that her vitals we good and she was responding well to what they were doing to her. They had her stable and she was being transported to The Ottawa General Hospital by 6am. Mike and I had to wait till 8am before I could be released and we could go and be with Angel. Just as I was being released we received a call from a doctor at the General, Angel had taken a turn for the worse and we were told she was in critical condition and we needed to get there as quick as we could. Both of us rushed out of the Queensway Carleton Hospital to find ourselves stuck in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. It was the longest 45 minutes of our lives, all we could do was pray everything was going to be okay. When we arrive there we went straight to the 8th
floor and we were lead to her bedside. We are greeted with some familiar faces from doctors and nurses who had just taken care of Cooper 8 month prior. We were told her chance of survival was slim but they were going to do everything they could to help her. At 11:39 am Angel took her last breath and we were left standing there trying to understand what had just happened in such a short time.
We cannot say Thank You enough times to the doctors and nurses at The Queensway Carleton Hospital, The CHEO Transport Team and the doctors and nurses at The Ottawa General Campus Hospital for everything you did for Angel and for Mike and myself during our tragic loss. We would also like to thank the doctors and nurses at CHEO for everything you did and continue to do for Cooper. Once again thank you to all of our family and friends for the support we have received in the last 8 months with Cooper and your continued support
with his journey ahead. We can not thank you enough for all you kind words for our loss of our baby girl Angel Betty Dorothy Sandbach. Thank you to Pinecrest Memorial for making this difficult time easy to deal with.
We are having a Celebration of Life for Angel on Sunday, March 10th, 2019 at Pinecrest Memorial(2500 Baseline Rd) from 1pm-3pm
It all began the Summer of 2016 when our paths crossed at the Havelock Jamboree. It sounds crazy but it was love at first sight. We spent a very short time together throughout the weekend. Early Sunday morning Mike found my trailer and I woke up to him in my room asking me to breakfast at the local diner in town. I had never been so happy to wake up so early in the morning! At breakfast we exchanged phone
numbers and talked about how we both wanted to keep in contact and get to know each other more. Over the next week we talked on the phone and exchanged texts constantly. We had to agree to met at my cottage the following weekend because it was a halfway point for the both of us. It was a huge step for the both us because Mike would be meeting my son Lucas and my parents that weekend. From that moment on we instantly became a family of three. The weeks following Mike spent his time traveling from Peterborough to Richmond to be with us. Before we knew it he had packed up all of his belongings with his two dogs Buddy and Lucy and moved in with Lucas, me and our dog Tucker.
In October the discussion about expanding our family began and we decided we wanted a baby, a few months had passed with no success. Time was going by so quickly and we were all excited for our First Christmas
together. It was that morning we both got the best gift, we found out we were expecting a baby! We weren't to sure how Lucas was going to handle the news so we decided to keep it a secret for awhile. As time passed we announced our news to Lucas that he was going to be a big brother and he was so excited and couldn't wait to find out if he was going to have a little brother or sister.
Just like that it was August 18, 2017 and we were celebrating our 1 year Anniversary and the following week on August 25, 2017 we welcomed our beautiful healthy baby boy Hunter Gordon Sandbach into our lives. We were now a family of four. Our first year together was busy and full of new and exciting things and we couldn't wait to start our second chapter together.
Four months later on Boxing Day, I announced to Mike that we were expecting again. Both of us were so excited about our growing family we shared the good news with Lucas right away. This time Lucas was not happy he was going to be a big brother again but decided if it was a girl he would be okay with it. We soon learned we were having another boy and he was expected on August 22, 2018 just 3 days before Hunters 1st Birthday. Lucas insisted that he got to name our newest addition because he didn't get a sister. With just giving birth and learning we were expecting again we had choices to make. Do I take the whole year off to be with Hunter? or do I return back to work early and try to collect enough hours for maternity leave again? We decided I would continue my current maternity leave with Hunter. Then I would return back to work after I was done recovery from our third son. Mike would then take maternity leave to be home with Hunter and our new baby boy to be.
On June 28, 2018 our worlds would be changed in a moment. I was 31 weeks plus 5 days along, we still had 9 weeks left and I was in labour. My dad was on his way to look after Lucas and Hunter while Mike drove us to the Queensway Carleton Hospital. It was around 8pm when we got to the hospital and we were rushed right to the Birthing Unit. I was prepped for an emergency C-Section and Cooper Michael Sandbach was born at 10:18pm weighing 4lbs 2oz. They immediately started chest compressions for 5 minutes, the CHEO paramedics took over to get him transported to the NICU at CHEO. Mike followed the Ambulance to CHEO and I was alone in recovery.
The next morning I was released on very strict conditions and Mike and I were on our way to CHEO to be with Cooper. We had no idea the road we were about to travel on with Coopers recovery. We were warned by
the doctors right away that things didn't look great for Cooper's future. Every morning we would meet with the doctors and nurses for their debriefing on the next step for Cooper. Everyday he was getting some sort of test done. Some days we were given good news with his recovery but then it seemed he would take a turn for the worse. After a few weeks we were told Cooper had developed a severe brain bleed on the right and left side of his brain and another small bleed at the back of his head, they classed it as a Bilateral Grade 3 bleed IVH(4 being the worse). The next step was to monitor him closely to see how things would progress. After a few days he was scheduled for surgery and had a permanent frontal VP shunt put in. Cooper was on his road to recovery, our entire summer was spent at CHEO. We attended every morning debriefing Cooper's progress with the doctors and nurses, then we would hang out there with him to lunch time and head back home for the afternoon. After dinner we would head back and spend the evening with
him and most nights we would take turns staying with him. One week before our 2nd Anniversary we got the best news ever, they were releasing Cooper from the NICU and he could finally come home.
Our first weekend all together we went to the cottage and celebrated our second anniversary with some family and friends and Mike proposed. By this time my maternity leave was over and was granted a few months extension to cope with the struggles we had just went through with Cooper. Mike had enough hours to take 6 months of maternity leave and I was on the hunt for a new job while he stayed home with the boys. Soon after returning back to work we found out we were expecting again! The news came as a complete shock but once again we were excited to have one last member added to our family. We had faced every challenge given us that year the best we could and
stuck beside each other the whole time. Our love and strength had only grown stronger.
We quickly learned at our first ultrasound that I was further along than what we had expected and our newest member would be due on June 8th, 2019. The time came and we found out we were expecting a girl! Lucas was so excited to finally have his baby sister. Everything was going well with the pregnancy considering our scare we had with Cooper being born premature and requiring a shunt. Then on the morning of February 28th, 2019 I woke up around 12am with bad cramps. Hoping the cramps would pass, the pain only got stronger and more frequent. Mike woke up, I was on the phone with my parents asking them to get to our house to watch Lucas, Hunter and Cooper I was sure I was in labour. By 2am we were at the Queensway Carleton Hospital I was already 5cm dilated and they were making arrangements to transport us to the
Ottawa General Campus to deliver. Plans were quickly cancelled our baby girl was making her way into this world. They quickly rushed us into delivery room and at 2:47 am Angel Betty, Dorothy Sandbach was born weighing 2lbs. Cheo paramedics arrived moments later and started working on her lungs and reassured us that her vitals we good and she was responding well to what they were doing to her. They had her stable and she was being transported to The Ottawa General Hospital by 6am. Mike and I had to wait till 8am before I could be released and we could go and be with Angel. Just as I was being released we received a call from a doctor at the General, Angel had taken a turn for the worse and we were told she was in critical condition and we needed to get there as quick as we could. Both of us rushed out of the Queensway Carleton Hospital to find ourselves stuck in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. It was the longest 45 minutes of our lives, all we could do was pray everything was going to be okay. When we arrive there we went straight to the 8th
floor and we were lead to her bedside. We are greeted with some familiar faces from doctors and nurses who had just taken care of Cooper 8 month prior. We were told her chance of survival was slim but they were going to do everything they could to help her. At 11:39 am Angel took her last breath and we were left standing there trying to understand what had just happened in such a short time.
We cannot say Thank You enough times to the doctors and nurses at The Queensway Carleton Hospital, The CHEO Transport Team and the doctors and nurses at The Ottawa General Campus Hospital for everything you did for Angel and for Mike and myself during our tragic loss. We would also like to thank the doctors and nurses at CHEO for everything you did and continue to do for Cooper. Once again thank you to all of our family and friends for the support we have received in the last 8 months with Cooper and your continued support
with his journey ahead. We can not thank you enough for all you kind words for our loss of our baby girl Angel Betty Dorothy Sandbach. Thank you to Pinecrest Memorial for making this difficult time easy to deal with.
We are having a Celebration of Life for Angel on Sunday, March 10th, 2019 at Pinecrest Memorial(2500 Baseline Rd) from 1pm-3pm