The Benoit family and baby Cadence

Update on Cadence’s recovery:

It has been a whirlwind last couple of days in the NICU.

Their last meeting with the surgeon – an incredibly gifted and kind individual by the name of Dr. Joharifard – brought a rough plan on the next couple of steps. Cadence will be getting one more exploratory surgery this week to assess her anatomy, and then the waiting begins. They will wait for her to grow so that all her little parts are big enough to operate on with as little risk as possible. Whether that takes 2 months, or 5, will be up to her. Hearing the possibility of 5 months in the hospital brought further stress as they split their hearts between children's hospital and their son, Desmond who remains in clear water.

From amber and brenden: To the folks who have donated to the GoFundMe, or brought food, supplies, or a loving presence into our lives: we are eternally grateful. I still am struggling to feel worthy of all your support, but I can say without hesitation that your generosity is going to make such a difference in helping keep our family knit together despite the many kilometers between us. Clearwater is our home, and I look forward to the day when Cadence gets to see Raft peak for the first time. Until then, no news is good news (as so much will just be waiting for her to get bigger), but I’ll update with the big stuff as it comes.

So much love from us to you,

Hi, my name is Samantha and I am organizing this to benefit an amazing family who has a battle ahead of them with their newborn daughter.

Brenden and and Amber welcomed baby Cadence Mary Ann Benoit to the family. Weighing in at 6lbs. 6oz. and 52cm, she was born long and lean, and feisty and fierce from the get-go. That strength is going to serve her well in the coming months.

Soon after she was born, they realized that something was not quite as it should be, and she was struggling to breathe properly. Enter the longest and shortest 48 hours Brenden and amber have ever experienced. Very shortly after trying to have her first meal, Cadence was rushed off to the NICU. Doctors quickly determined through chest x-ray that she has a condition called esophageal atresia (more specifically EA-TEF), and this was causing both breathing and feeding issues. She would need specialized surgery for this condition. The next thing they knew, dad and baby were whisked off to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver via their very own private jet (watch out mum and dad - she has expensive taste already!), with mum to follow via her own transport the next day.

After a barrage of tests, assessments, and more doctors and nurses than we can count (and we appreciate every one of these amazing human beings), Cadence has now successfully had one surgery to fix her airway so that she can breathe properly. Unfortunately, her feeding issues are more complicated, and she will need another surgery once she’s had some time to grow. They have been told to expect to stay at Children’s Hospital for at least 2 more months, maybe longer.

As you can imagine, this has all been very overwhelming, and not at all how they expected to welcome their new baby girl into the family. We couldn’t be more grateful and relieved to know she has a good prognosis, but they have a challenging road ahead of them. Right now, their heads and hearts are torn in two while they try to figure out how to care for this new little angel while the other half of their hearts, Desmond, is at home with grandma (thank God for her, and for everyone who has helped them navigate these first few days).

If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering what you can do to help. First of all, pray for their family. These are uncharted waters that no one ever wants to wade through, and knowing your hearts are with them and lifting them up to receive God’s grace will help remind us that we are not alone through these rough seas.

We are raising some money to assist with all the unforseen costs ahead. From travel, Brenden being away from work and splitting their time between Clearwater and Vancouver.

If we can find anyway to ease some of the financial stress we will.

Thank you all so very very very much.