How Q̓ʷalayu House provided a safe place for this Port Hardy expectant mom travelling to deliver her first baby

When Port Hardy resident Angie was expecting her first little one, she was a bundle of different emotions. And when her midwife told her that she needed to leave her home community and support system 37 weeks into her pregnancy to stay close to the hospital in Campbell River, her worries grew.

Thankfully, her band office told her about Q̓ʷalayu House, Children’s Health Foundation’s newly opened home away from home in Campbell River for expectant moms and families who have to travel for their children’s health care. When she learned there would be a safe place for her when she arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“I was hesitant at first leading up to my stay,” says Angie. “But when I stepped through the doors, I thought it was a beautiful place. I felt that once my fiancé left, I’d be okay. It was a safe place.”

Angie fondly remembers having conversations with the house’s staff at all hours of the night when she couldn’t sleep. Having that sense of community in the late stages of her pregnancy meant everything to her when her fiancé was far away at work.

And after close to two weeks at Q̓ʷalayu House eagerly anticipating the arrival of her little one, baby Nellie was born on September 19. She is now three months old and doing well, hitting milestones and developing her personality.

“She’s her own little person,” says Angie. “She snorts when she is excited and opens her mouth to ask for a kiss. She’s trying to sit up on her own and leans forward to people when she wants them to pick her up.”

With your generosity, you can make sure expectant mothers like Angie and families with children receiving health care in Campbell River have a warm, safe place to stay at Q̓ʷalayu House.

Will you help hold Island families close for generations to come by making a gift today?