Print 
Share 
Text 
To reset, hold the Ctrl key, then press 0.
Baby Avalina Sousa was born at 24 weeks and spent her first 127 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The Ottawa Hospital is renovating its current NICU facilities at the General Campus to give each baby a separate room.
Sarah and Lorenzo Sousa were happily expecting their second child. Sarah Sousa was 24 weeks pregnant when she woke up at 1 a.m. on March 23, 2016, with labour pains.
Lorenzo bundled her into the car and started for the hospital. But Sarah could feel the baby’s arrival was urgent. They called 911, and an ambulance got Sarah to the hospital just in time. She was 10 centimetres dilated, and had an infection.
“There was nothing they could do to stop her from coming,” said Sarah. “The doctors told us that the baby’s chance of survival was not good, as at that stage the lungs were not yet developed enough for the baby to breathe on its own. They informed us about all the perils facing premature babies.”
At 4:46 a.m., Avalina was born, weighing only 750 grams. She was so small, so fragile and so sick. She was placed in an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and separated from her parents by tubes and wires. This tiny little soul was fighting for her life, all by herself. But she persevered, achieving milestone after milestone, until she was healthy enough to go home to her mom, dad and big sister, Olivia.
“After 127 days, we brought our sweet baby home,” said Sarah. “Our incredible journey would not have been possible without the support of the amazing NICU doctors, nurses and staff at The Ottawa Hospital who go above and beyond the call of duty to take care of the smallest lives who enter this world too early. Our precious Avalina is a testament to their skill, commitment and compassion.”
The Ottawa Hospital is renovating its current NICU facilities at the General Campus to give each baby a separate room. This allows caregivers to individualize each small patient’s environment and provide a family-centric model of care that will also include technology and equipment updates.
A new NICU is critical for babies like Avalina to receive the best, most up-to-date treatments developed at The Ottawa Hospital. This helps give prematurely born babies the best chance at surviving, thriving and growing up.
Find out more about the hospital’s campaign to renovate and expand its NICU.
Support patient care and research at
The Ottawa Hospital
You might also like…
New gender-affirming surgery clinic now accepting patients
The Ottawa Hospital’s new gender-affirming surgery clinic is truly one of a kind. Launched in September 2023, it’s the only clinic in Ontario to offer trans and non-binary patients facial, top and bottom procedures. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Nicholas Cormier and his team are happy to announce that they are now accepting patient referrals from physicians.
Mental health professionals and paramedics team up to help people in crisis
Seven days a week, a mental health professional from The Ottawa Hospital hits the road with a paramedic from the Ottawa Paramedic Service. Together, they respond to 911 calls for mental health emergencies across the city. Social worker Cindy Gill and paramedic Scott Farrell share how the Mental Wellbeing Response Team provides quality care for patients out in the community.
Watch: NICU babies and staff receive special Challenge Coins from Ottawa Fire Services
This may be the feel-good video of the year! After helping carry our tiniest patients out of harm’s way on October 27, firefighters return to the General Campus NICU to present staff, families and babies with a special gift.
“Stewards of hormones”: Our Gender Diversity Specialty Clinic guides medically complex patients on their affirmation journey
Often, trans and non-binary patients struggle to find health-care providers to support them on their affirmation journey. It is even more difficult for patients with complex medical needs. That’s why we launched our Gender Diversity Specialty Clinic, one of the first of its kind in Canada.
The comfort of home: Home Dialysis Program empowers patients to live more independent lives
For people living with kidney failure, the most ideal form of dialysis treatment is done in the place where they are most comfortable—their home. Five years ago, we transformed our Home Dialysis Program, enhancing quality of life for our patients, welcoming more patients, and turning it into a model for dialysis programs across the province.
The Ottawa Hospital administers world-first in-utero treatment for rare genetic disorder
Before Ayla was born, she had already made history. Last year at The Ottawa Hospital, she received a world-first in-utero treatment for Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder that had taken the lives of two of her siblings. Now 17 months old, Ayla is healthy and happy.
Comment on this post