3 minute read
Fight for respiratory health
TB Vets Gift of Breath to Preemies Arming frontline medical heroes in the fight for respiratory health
Watching your child grow up is among the great pleasures of parenthood. For Vivian, pregnant with twins in 2019, the “giggling phase” was among the moments she was most looking forward to experiencing.
But one of the first and most natural milestones for newborns became an immediate and
urgent concern when Vivian gave birth prematurely at British Columbia Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada.
The tiny boys, Kieran and Corbin, needed to breathe.
That’s where donors to TB Vets Charitable Foundation had a critical role in helping save the lives of these fragile newborns.
For over 75 years, TB Vets Charitable Foundation has been funding critical respiratory equipment at B.C. hospitals. And TB Vets donors are the lifeline of this mission!
“Both twins were ventilated right after birth,” Vivian says. “Kieran and Corbin were able to move to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ventilator later in the day. However, Corbin struggled, and was reintubated.”
Some babies may only need respiratory assistance for a short time. For others, the help may last weeks. In his case, Corbin spent more than a month being intubated.
Thanks to the generosity of its donors, TB Vets was able to
fund neo-natal ventilators at B.C. Women’s Hospital and other hospitals across the province so babies like Corbin can receive the respiratory care they urgently need.
Because of several challenges, Corbin was placed on a jet ventilator, specially designed to lessen the risk of trauma to a baby’s lungs.
He remained on a ventilator while the family awaited his surgery to treat complications from a bleed in the brain. Fortunately, just after Christmas and following his operation, Corbin was extubated and moved to a gentler form of breathing assistance as he built enough strength to breathe on his own.
Ninety-two days after arriving in the neonatal intensive care unit and five days after his brother left, Corbin was finally able to go home.
These days, Vivian can enjoy the moments she had imagined during her pregnancy. “It’s a great stress relief just to make them giggle and relax,” she says.
She is grateful to those who make it possible for hospitals like B.C. Women’s to access the latest in lifesaving technology.
“Thank you deeply for your generosity,” she says. “Our family wouldn’t be complete without supporters like you. Your contributions have made differences not just in my family, but in the many families I’ve met throughout our time in NICU.”
BABY KIERAN WITH MOM © TB VETS
ABOUT TB VETS Founded as an initiative to provide employment to WWII veterans suffering from tuberculosis, TB Vets has grown over the following decades into what it is today: a leading charitable foundation funding respiratory equipment, research and education in British Columbia and beyond. Every year TB Vets funds approximately 20 ventilators, provides bursaries to respiratory therapy students, contributes to lung research, and continues to support the TB Ward at
Vancouver General Hospital where the sickest tuberculosis patients receive life-saving treatment.
With your help, TB Vets can continue arming the medical frontline in the fight for better respiratory care in British Columbia and beyond! www.tbvets.org/donate
TWINS KIERAN AND CORBIN © TB VETS
