Exceptional care
Corner Brook family glad the Janeway was there in their time of need
With training in the nursing field, Scott Carroll knew his son was in for a tough battle.
The Corner Brook man and his wife, Robyn, had been expecting to have their son in late April 2016. Gavin, however, had other plans and came into the world three months premature, on Jan. 28, 2016.
Born at 26 weeks, he weighed in at a tender one pound, 13 ounces.
He would spend the next 102 days at the Janeway Children’s Hospital in St. John’s and 69 of those days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“It was scary knowing all of the things that could go wrong with him being born so early,” Scott said. “Luckily, nothing went wrong.”
The Janeway kept Gavin healthy enough to be discharged April 6, 2016.
His fantastic progress was thwarted a month later when he became ill with pneumonia and bronchiolitis. He was admitted back into the Janeway on May 13, 2016 and would spend another month there.
He recovered from that but, before he was released June 16, 2016, Gavin also needed surgery to treat a hernia.
These days, he is a happy, healthy 16-month-old weighing in at 24 pounds. Other than one more trip to the Janeway for a checkup last August, he’s had no other issues.
Needless to say, the Janeway has been an important part of Gavin’s young life so far. The Carrolls cannot say enough good things about the staff there and how they treated both Gavin and his parents. The Carrolls quickly realized he was in good hands with the Janeway staff.
“Those people are excellent and provided exceptional care all the time we were there,” he said. “They became a second family to us and we felt comfortable leaving the baby in the nighttime, knowing the care they provided.”
The Carrolls will be among those participating in the 33rd annual Janeway Children’s Miracle Network Telethon being broadcast live on NTV this weekend.
It will be a chance for them to give a little back to the hospital that has helped them so much.
Two of Gavin’s cousins in Labrador have raised about $1,000 to be donated to the foundation in his name.
The Carrolls themselves have also raised another $600 or so from a recycling drive to give to the cause.
The telethon airs on NTV from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, with segments also being aired from the Avalon Mall, Gander International Airport, Corner Brook City Hall, College of the North Atlantic in Burin and at the Clarenville Middle School.