Fourteen years ago, Delka Roberts became a mom. Though, it wasn’t the beginning that she expected.
Her day started with a routine fetal assessment at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. By that afternoon, she was being transferred to St. Boniface Hospital because there were no available beds at HSC for moms-to-be that day.
As Delka put it, “The universe made sure I ended up exactly where I needed to be.”
Her daughter, Tabitha, was born weighing just one pound and two ounces. Fragile, intubated, and with extra challenges, Tabitha needed constant care in St. B’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). And as a new mom, Delka needed care and support, too.
“I basically lived here,” Roberts remembered. “I felt like this was my job. I went home, and I came back in the evening. She was all I could focus on.”
The nurses and staff at St. B became more than caregivers for Delka and Tabitha: they were a lifeline. They checked in, reminded her that she could do this, and sat beside her on the hardest days.
“They were my comfort,” Delka said. “They were always there, always supportive, and always giving me encouragement.”
“I remember our first skin-to-skin cuddle – my first time holding her – was on Valentine’s Day,” recalled Roberts. “What a gift! I remember we just had regular office chairs in the room at the time, and I sat there happily for hours, just cherishing that.”
Today, Tabitha is thriving. And Delka has found her way back to St. Boniface Hospital – not as a patient, but as the Coordinator of the Parent Partner Program, made possible by the kindness of Foundation donors. In her role, Delka offers that same kind of comfort to other parents whose journeys with their babies are just beginning. As someone who’s walked the same path and understands the challenges that come with that, she knows just how powerful it is to hear that you’re not alone.
“When your baby is sick, you gain superpowers,” said Delka. “But having someone beside you who has been through it makes that extra difference.”
Delka works with volunteers, staff, and families for reunion events for St. B babies, reminding parents how far they’ve come since their stay. The fact that so many medical professionals in the Labour & Delivery Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) still remember families long after they’ve gone home is a testament to the care here.
Lucette Parent, a St. B NICU volunteer and mom to two daughters born at the Hospital, sees this compassion every week. Determined to make a difference for families beginning at St. B, she has donated $1,000 to match gifts leading up to Mother’s Day. “Seeing firsthand some of the equipment required to help newborns get their life started is nothing short of amazing,” said Parent. “I see the benefits of equipment and simple comforts, like a reclining chair to snuggle, and the impact it has on the smallest patients at St. B. Between these, the care, and the dedication of staff, they’re given their best chance to thrive.”
Thanks to Lucette’s generosity, you can double your impact through a meaningful gift celebrating or remembering the moms and mother-figures in your life.