EDITOR,
Our little family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the tremendous generosity and kindness that your community has shown to us recently.
I have a heart condition. Last year, after trying for several months, my husband and I discovered that we were expecting a baby! We were overjoyed with this news and yet felt a deep sense of trepidation at the prospect of how my heart would cope with the added demands that a pregnancy would place on my body. I was immediately classified as a high-risk pregnancy and henceforth closely monitored by a team of doctors. Early on, they informed me that I would most likely not carry to term but they would do their utmost best to ensure that would carry the baby for as long as possible.
Knowing this, we tried our best to get ourselves ready for baby's arrival and we thought we had it all covered until one day my sister, Georgina McCandlish, dropped in from Squamish for a visit. We were proud to show her the nursery that we'd put together, much of it with her kind donation of a crib and cradle, and other baby paraphernalia. She was concerned, however, that we didn't have enough clothing for the baby yet, which alarmed me greatly as it was getting later into the pregnancy and my energy level was dropping fast. I just couldn't see myself going out to shop for more clothes and I didn't know how much I'd need. This is where she stepped up and called on the great community of Squamish to help out.
Through her network of friends, she relayed our situation and asked if anyone had any baby things to donate. The response was overwhelming, and that's an understatement. Within a week, we had a mountain of baby stuff appearing on our doorstep -not only clothing and toys, but also a car seat, a play pen, coupons for baby formula, and more. We were deeply touched by this outpouring of generosity and selfless giving.
Our baby girl, Melanie Patricia Boutin, was born seven weeks premature on Nov. 22, 2012 at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. Even though she was quite early and didn't weigh much -only 3 pounds -she is a feisty and determined little girl. After a short three weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), we got to bring her home! She is now amazingly well, has grown to over five pounds, and we are happily settling into the routine of new parents.
Every day, we are reminded of the tremendous heart of the Squamish community as we change her sleepers and see the drawers and closet full of clothes for our little angel. Thank you all so much. We simply cannot express our gratitude enough but we thought we'd try by sending this letter to your local paper. Thank you.
Chris, Christine and baby Melanie Boutin
North Vancouver
