In times of uncertainty, this Island family found comfort and care far from home

For Ontario-born Krista, living on Vancouver Island was a dream come true. She moved out west in her 20s, after having worked with students with special needs.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a mom for a very long time, partly shaped by that experience. I love kids,” Krista shared.

When Krista and her husband Murray were expecting a child, they knew they’d have to leave their home community for the birth—there is no hospital on the small Northern Gulf Island they live on. But Krista never expected to leave so early or stay away for so long.

A safe place to land
Krista first heard about Q̓ʷalayu House at the end of a trip to the North Island Hospital emergency room in Campbell River. She was in her second trimester—in so much pain she could barely walk. Luckily, she and Murray were just steps from our Home Away From Home, where they stayed for several days while Krista had physiotherapy treatments.

When Krista was 32 weeks pregnant, the couple found themselves back at Q̓ʷalayu House—and this time, there was no check-out date in sight.

“I ended up with a condition called cholestasis. The biggest concern with that is keeping healthy flow through the umbilical cord to the baby,” Krista explained.

“I was admitted to the hospital while they scanned every organ in my body. My doctors determined that the issue was with me, and James was still growing and getting everything he needed. But it was decided that I shouldn’t go back home.”

Krista needed to have tests and blood work taken every few days for weeks, something that would not have been possible to do going back and forth. Not when one round trip from their home to Campbell River means four ferry rides and a five-hour commute.

“In a time where there was uncertainty, not worrying about the financial outcome of spending thousands on a hotel—it just made all the difference.”

Krista and Murray stayed at Q̓ʷalayu House for 47 nights straight. And in that time, they came to know it as ‘home.’

“We got to know the staff and other families staying there. My family’s in Ontario, so seeing moms with their daughters who were expecting. I was also being mothered by them. People offered me food. It was a community I didn’t know I was missing.”

When baby James arrived at 37 weeks, Krista’s liver was so stressed that her skin was turning grey. Two days after he was born, her liver function was returning to normal and James was doing great. But the family’s journey didn’t end there.

Finding more support for James
At six months old, James was referred to a pediatrician over concerns with his head circumference, which was tracking above the 99th percentile. James had frequent appointments so the doctor could monitor him, and each time, the family returned to room five at Q̓ʷalayu House.

Recently, Krista and Murray took James to Victoria General Hospital to be seen by a neurologist. When they walked through the doors of our original Home Away From Home, Jeneece Place, Krista already knew what kind of support they’d receive. “It just really feels like a home there.”

Krista and Murray were thrilled to learn that after that visit, there are no more concerns about James’ health.

Today, two-year-old James is curious and calm. He loves to play outside, explore the forest or the beach, and help mom and dad in the garden.

And thanks to donors like you, this family has had a safe place to land since before he was born – one that reduced their stress and built a sense of support and community when the stakes were highest.

“If I hadn’t had that experience at Q̓ʷalayu House, I don’t know if I’d be in the state I am now emotionally. We were really supported. And I felt like my hand was held in a time where I really needed it.”