The impact of a home away from home in community

When Soren and Mahsa moved to Canada 10 years ago from Belgium, they weren’t expecting to have a little one running around. Both Soren and his wife were continuing their education – Mahsa studying interior architecture and Soren finishing up his education in plant genetics. It was only when they landed in the Comox Valley three years ago for Soren’s new research position that they decided a child was in their future.

Back in March of this year, Soren and Mahsa were planning to spend a Friday evening celebrating the upcoming arrival of their new family member. The night took an unfortunate turn and the couple rushed to the Comox Valley Hospital. Within 20 minutes, doctors were there, the sonogram was done, and Soren and Mahsa were told that her placenta was only 25 per cent connected. They had limited time to save the baby. Next thing they knew, they were in the operating room and baby Delsa was born at 30 weeks.

Very quickly the family was transferred to Victoria General Hospital as Comox Valley doesn’t have a NICU unit. They arrived in Victoria separately: Delsa first, via helicopter, then Mahsa, in an ambulance, and Soren arriving later by car.

“The first question was: where are we going to stay?” says Soren. They knew they could stay at the hospital for a few nights, but the rest was a huge question mark. The worry and unknowns started to pile up.

“I was talking to a nurse, and she said, ‘you should go see Jeneece Place,’” says Soren. It was the first time he’d heard that name, so the nurse drew a map of where it’s located – just steps from the hospital. Within two hours they had a room there. To say it was a relief was an understatement.

“We are immigrants. We didn’t have any family here. We were alone. Jeneece Place felt like I was at my family’s house. I’m searching for a good English word here…but when you feel cozy and the feeling that you have when you go to your mother’s house when you’re stressed – that feeling,” says Soren.

But as Delsa grew stronger, she no longer needed the specialized care and constant monitoring in a level three NICU. The family was transferred to the level two at Nanaimo NICU sooner than they had anticipated.

“When we got the information that we were going down to level two, we were relieved because that meant Delsa was doing well. The health of the baby and mother is the most important,” says Soren. “But then we discovered there’s no Jeneece Place in Nanaimo, and that was pretty sad at the time,” he says.

While the Comox-based nonprofit YANA (You Are Not Alone) helped the family with the financial aspects of the transfer such as travel and hotels, it was a hard transition for the family. Hotels near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) are few and far in between.

“I needed to go back to work to take care of some important things, so Mahsa was living in that hotel alone,” says Soren.

Mahsa was driving back and forth multiple times each day and night between the hotel room and hospital to breastfeed and care for their baby.

“There was no possibility for her to stay with Delsa, she was in a room with other babies at level two,” explains Soren. “In the Nanaimo hospital location, there are not a lot of options [for places to stay]. And we were not alone. There were other families that we met in the NICU at NRGH that had this problem as well.”

Soren considers that if a home away from home in Nanaimo did exist, it would have made a profound impact.

“The difference would have been huge. You can imagine how important it is during that critical period for breastfeeding; for a mother to be emotionally stable and taken care of, and calm so that she can focus on the health of both her and the baby. Highly important,” reflects Soren.

Soren emphasized the difference between a hotel room and something like Jeneece Place. “I really want to emphasize the emotional part of it. It’s the emotional support you get.”

“Having a home like Jeneece Place in Nanaimo, as a parent who actually went through this stressful period of time, is probably the greatest thing that can happen in the community of Nanaimo,” states Soren.

Island families like Soren’s will always need a home away from home while their child is receiving medical care far from their home community.

Will you make a gift and help us hold Island families close? Your gift will help open the doors to a Nanaimo home away from home.