Kemptville parents Mike McFadden and Brittany Walker considered it a miracle when their twin daughters made their surprise arrival one month early last year.
Having woken up with severe back pain on June 13, Walker didn’t suspect that she was in labour.
After calling an ambulance to take her to the Ottawa General Hospital, Walker was informed that there wasn’t enough time, and she would be admitted to Kemptville District Hospital’s (KDH) ER instead.
We were blown away by the level of care they received from KDH staff and everyone involved
It turns out the paramedics had made the right call — because after Walker was admitted at 4:03 a.m., Jackie Rose arrived at 4:23 followed by her sister Jolene Marie at 4:27.
With a number of factors at play, the double delivery was a risky situation, especially for the local hospital that did not have a maternity program in place since 1990. On top of being four weeks early, the twins were also both in breech position, making the delivery all the more high-risk.
Walker and McFadden were blown away by the level of care they received from KDH staff and everyone involved, including Leeds Grenville Paramedics, CHEO, and the Ottawa Civic Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
To show their gratitude, they decided to donate $5,000 to the hospital on behalf of the twins just before Christmas.
On Dec. 22 [2021], KDH staff met Jackie and Jolene and their parents to receive the donation.
Inspired by Jackie’s and Jolene’s arrival, KDH Foundation executive director, Joanne Mavis, explained the funds will be used to purchase pediatric manikins for physicians and nurses to practise CPR on, in addition to educational training.
This story originally appeared in the December 23, 2021 issue of the Kemptville Advance. Reprinted with permission of the Kemptville Advance/Metroland Media.