“My wife Danielle was due April 4^th, but her due date came and went,” remembers Cameron. “So after a week and a half her care team decided to induce her. It took several tries before things started moving.”

As her labour progressed, Danielle’s temperature started to climb and the baby’s heartbeat was increasing. Danielle, Cameron, and their healthcare team determined that a C-Section would be the safest option for delivery.

“In our NICU pod, it was all babies and their dads,” remembers Cameron.

After an unexpectedly eventful entrance, baby Eric was finally born April 16^th. While Danielle recovered from her surgery in her room in the Mother Baby Unit, Eric spent a day in Humber’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) so that his care team could monitor his breathing.

“In our NICU pod, it was all babies and their dads,” remembers Cameron. “We were all new parents, and the NICU nurses took the time to teach us how to care for our newborns. I hadn’t spent a lot of time around babies, but the nurses were so informative and showed me their techniques for things like the best way to burp him.”

After his short stay in the NICU, baby Eric was well enough to be moved to Danielle’s single-patient room in the Mother Baby Unit.

“The nurses and doctors were fantastic,” says Cameron. “The Paediatrician, Dr. Dahman, was very nice and took his time with him, and our nurses were very attentive and checked in frequently to make sure we were all doing okay.”

Danielle and Cameron made the decision to honour Eric’s arrival through the new Star is Born Program. Eric’s name was added to our beautiful star wall outside the Mother Baby unit, and the family’s donation will help future patients receive great care at the Hospital.

Three months after Eric’s arrival, the family is doing well and settling into life with their newborn.

Eric’s birth is now part of his family’s long history with Humber River Hospital. The Church Legacy site had always been there for Cameron’s family as he grew up in the neighbourhood. Cameron’s mother used to be a nurse at Humber, and he now works at the Wilson Site as a Medication Reimbursement Specialist. Danielle and Cameron even gave Eric his middle name, Howard, in honour of Cameron’s grandfather who received great care at Humber.

“Before Eric was born, I had heard about the Star is Born program in The River’s EDGE newsletter,” says Cameron. “I forwarded it to Danielle. She works for another hospital foundation and is very philanthropic, so we were both very excited about giving back to Humber through the program!”

Three months after Eric’s arrival, the family is doing well and settling into life with their newborn.

“Danielle bounced back after her surgery – and she is such a good mom,” says Cameron. “And Eric is developing a personality. He’s smiling and laughing and it has been so cool to watch him grow in such a short amount of time. I especially love every time I get to feed him, because he gets so excited when he’s eating.”

Honour your beloved child by sharing their name on our beautiful star wall, while giving a donation in support of Humber River Hospital. It’s the perfect way for adoring parents, starstruck grandparents, and aunties and uncles with stars in their eyes to show their love! Learn more about A Star is Born here.