Toddler recovering from near drowning

By Michael Bennett Local Journalism Initiative The Ridgetown Independent

A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist Garth Saunders – who has family in Ridgetown – and Gillian Burnett in paying for expenses while their toddler recovers from a near drowning.

Waylon Saunders, 20 months old, is back at home after being hospitalized in Victoria Hospital in London after he fell into an outdoor pool at a home daycare in Petrolia.

Waylon was underwater for approximately five minutes before he was pulled out of the pool.

Firefighters and paramedics immediately performed CPR on Waylon before rushing him to the Petrolia hospital, where the Emergency Room team took turns performing compressions for over three hours

Thanks to the work of the ER staff, Waylon regained a heartbeat. He was transferred to Victoria Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator and placed into a medically induced coma.

“Waylon is a little fighter. Against many odds, he survived the night,” said Liana Gammage, as doctors prepared the family for the worst.

Waylon is the great-grandson of Rita Saunders, grandson of Cari Saunders and grandnephew of Paul and Liana Gammage, all of Ridgetown.

Waylon remained in the Critical Care Unit until he emerged from the coma and began breathing on his own.

While he continues his miraculous progression, Waylon still has a long road to recovery while his parents face a significant financial burden.

“They are working parents who give everything they have to their children,” Liana said.

She said Gillian and Garth are fortunate to have family and friends from their hometown of Brigden and here in town who have made the trip to London, despite the inclement weather, to provide basic needs such as clothes and toiletries.

“Although we know Waylon is the strongest 20-month-old out there, it is still impossible for doctors to predict the outcome,” stated Lia- the road ahead will be a long one. “He is going to require an extraordinary amount of extra care, which his amazing parents will give him at the sacrifice of themselves.”

The family are hoping the community can offer support.

““We are reaching out to friends and the community as we hope to ease some of the burden on these wonderful parents in such tragic circumstances,” Liana said.

The Go Fund Me account can be found at gofund. me/82d52b3c and type in ‘Waylon Saunders’ in the search window.

Request For Quotation

Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport Agricultural Land Lease

Quotations sealed in an envelope which shall be clearly marked as to contents, will be received by the Purchasing Officer, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, First Floor, Civic Centre, 315 King Street West, Chatham, Ontario until 1330 h (Local Time) on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

THE MAJOR ITEMS CONSIST OF:

Quotations for the lease of approximately 329.53 acres of property at the Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport to be used for agricultural purposes. The Municipality intends to enter into a three year lease agreement with the selected bidder with an option for two additional one year renewals, based on the needs of the Municipality.

All offers are to be presented on the specific forms provided for this quotation and are subject to specific conditions, both of which are available by contacting the Chatham-Kent Public Works Department by phone at 519.360.1998 x3980, or by email at ckpw@chatham-kent.ca.

More information is available on the Chatham-Kent website at: www.chatham-kent.ca/airportlease.

The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all quotations if the Corporation’s funding is insufficient or becomes unavailable for any reason.

For questions:

Marion Smith, Airport Manager

Z3 Aviation (519) 676-3455 info@z3aviation.com na. “Yet, we all know that whatever the outcome,

This cute little fellow, Waylon Saunders, had a tragic accident recently, falling into an outdoor pool. He will have a long road to recovery, so a GoFundMe account has been set up to help out.

More than $20,000 has already been raised.

“We are beyond thankful for the amazing teams of doctors and nurses at both hospitals, and we thank all of you for anything you can do to help,” said Liana.