Adam Fobert

Our relationship with CHEO started a few hours after our son’s birth. My wife endured a long 22+hour labor at Montfort and around 11:30pm Nolan came into the world. I cut the umbilical cord, and then he got sleepy. I remember thinking, “Gee, give the kid a break. I’d be sleepy too after all that hard work.” His colour went off, they rushed him to another room, and shortly afterwards the CHEO team arrived. He was transferred to CHEO at about 3am and it was suggested that we stay put and get some rest. At first light we were out the door and finding our way to CHEO’s NICU. There we met a cardiologist who explained that our son was born with a complex congenital heart defect. He spent the vast majority of his first four years of life between CHEO and Sick Kids. He has his first open heart surgery at just three weeks old. Simple things like a run of the mill ear infection would land us in the hospital over night. Ultimately his heart was repaired shortly before his four birthday after five open heart procedures and twelve cardiac caths, but who’s counting? The staff at CHEO are our family. We shared many hard moments and triumphs. Everyone from the Derek the orderly who was the first to refer to my wife as mom and offered her a chair to sit in. To Pat our regular post-op nurse who knew how to care for our son. To the doctor who sat by his bedside all night long when he was just a few weeks ago to ensure that medication was adjusted just right. To say that CHEO is a special place to our family is an understatement.

Areas of Interest

• Rare Disease
• Cardiology
• Pain
• Genetics
• Intensive Care