One family’s story, shared through the Boreal Healthcare Foundation’s work to bring care closer to home
Boreal Healthcare Foundation, Submitted
I never imagined I would walk into a hospital knowing my baby would not be coming home with me.
I am a nurse. I am a mom. I am Callie’s mom.
When I was pregnant with Callie, I knew something felt different. At first, it was just a feeling. Then came the tests, the ultrasounds, the waiting, and then the words no parent is ever prepared to hear.
Our baby had a condition that was not compatible with life.
Instead of planning for the future, my husband and I were preparing to say goodbye.
During that time, I had to travel to Saskatoon for much of my care. As someone who has worked in healthcare and as someone living through one of the hardest experiences of my life, that reality stayed with me. In moments like that, the last thing a family needs is more distance, more uncertainty, and more time away from home, support, and everything familiar.
That is why care close to home matters so deeply.
In Prince Albert, we are seeing major change with the Victoria Hospital expansion. People in our community know the building is going up, and that is important. But a hospital is more than walls, rooms, and square footage. For it to truly care for families, it also needs the right equipment, technology, and spaces inside it.
In my case, one of those needs was advanced ultrasound equipment.
This is often thought of only in relation to pregnancy, but it supports so much more than maternity care. It helps with diagnosis, decision making, treatment planning, and timely care for many different patients. When that kind of equipment is not available locally, families may have no choice but to leave home during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
I know what that feels like.
Every trip added stress to an already overwhelming situation. Every kilometre made a painful experience even harder. And every time I found myself thinking the same thing: what if more of this care could happen here?
Closer to home. Closer to family. Closer to support. That question has stayed with me.
Callie was born on February 25. She lived for 30 minutes. In those 30 minutes, she changed my life forever.
There is no easy language for this kind of loss. I am what is sometimes called a loss mom. It is not a title anyone wants, and it is not something you simply move on from. You carry your child with you in your heart, in your thoughts, and in the shape your life takes afterward.
For me, part of carrying Callie has meant finding ways to honour her. I wrote a children’s book to help families talk about loss with siblings. Turtles became a symbol for our family, a quiet reminder of Callie and a way of feeling connected to her. I have also thought often about what compassionate care looks like inside a hospital, not only in treatment rooms, but in the spaces families need when life changes in an instant.
Because healthcare is not only about treating illness or responding to crisis. It is also about how we care for people in the moments that stay with them forever.
It is about dignity.
It is about compassion.
It is about making sure that when something unexpected happens, people do not have to face it farther from home than necessary.
One thing I have carried with me from this experience is a deeper appreciation for the people of this community. Prince Albert is a place where people show up for one another. I have seen that both as a nurse and as a patient’s family member. I have seen how much local people care about local healthcare, and how willing they are to help create something better for their neighbours, friends, and loved ones.
That generosity matters.
It matters because strong local healthcare supports all of us. No one knows when they or someone they love will need it. Life can change in an instant. When it does, families need skilled professionals, the right equipment, and compassionate spaces close to home.
That is what this moment is really about.
The hospital expansion represents an opportunity not just to grow, but to prepare. To make sure that as our region grows, care grows with it. To make sure families can access more of what they need here in Prince Albert. To make sure difficult moments are met with as much support, expertise, and dignity as possible.
My family’s story is personal, but it is not unique. More families than many people realize walk this road. They deserve excellent care. They deserve compassion. And they deserve it as close to home as possible.
That is why this matters to me.
And that is why I believe it should matter to all of us.
To learn more about Brittany’s story, and help bring care closer to home for families in our region, visit borealhealthcare.ca, listen to the Boreal Healthcare Foundation podcast, and support Equip the Vic.
