WEYBURN — Weyburn's Lisa Webb is sharing an emotional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) journey, after her daughter, Elsie, was born at 29 weeks.
It is a story that will be shared during the 39th annual Z99 Radiothon held on Thursday, March 26, to raise funds for Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
“The Hospitals of Regina Foundation takes stories of people who have utilized the hospital, and they like to put them on their website or send out letters asking for donations. They had something on their website requesting stories, so I reached out with ours,” said Webb.
“If … my story brought in one extra donation, that would be worth it.”
Elsie weighed only three pounds nine ounces when she was born on Feb. 24, 2025. She spent 60 days in the NICU.
“I had a completely normal pregnancy. Every appointment, every ultrasound was perfect.”
The weekend before the birth, her whole family had flu-like illnesses, and, at first, Webb’s symptoms were attributed to the whole family being sick. Then on Monday morning, she felt labour symptoms.
With two older children under her care, Webb arranged care and called her doctor’s clinic before speaking with an on-call obstetrician from her care team. She then immediately headed to the Regina General Hospital.
“Within five minutes of getting there, they said, ‘Oh, you're having your baby tonight,’” she explained.
It was an emotional experience for her, being told that her baby was going to be born prematurely. Webb delivered Elsie by emergency C-section and saw her for only a moment before she was taken to the NICU.
“Without the incredible team of the NICU, our daughter wouldn't be here today. She spent 60 days in the NICU, and every single day, we were in awe of the dedication, compassion, expertise of the nurses and staff.
“She needed some breathing assistance for a couple days,” Webb recounted with tears in her eyes. “She needed oxygen therapy.”
With Elsie’s first birthday recently celebrated, Webb felt that supporting the radiothon would be a great way to support other families.
“You never think your child is going to need intensive care, but when you do need it, you're just happy that it's close to home,” she said.
There was a lot of fear, hope and small victories for Elsie during her time in the NICU. Webb noted that she had a lot of support from her nurses and doctors.
“There were certain ones that you kind of connected more with. I still remember their names and their faces.
“When you're in a tough situation, you just really remember who was there for you. They were people I didn't even know, but they were definitely one of our biggest supports.”
That first-hand experience in the NICU also proved how valuable their equipment is to saving lives on a daily basis.
“A lot of their equipment is purchased because of donations. You don’t think a $10 donation will go far, but it will.”
Donations to the Z99 Radiothon can be made from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.
Since 1987, the Z99 Radiothon has raised more than $12.3 million, helping the foundation provide the NICU with life-saving technology that allows the medical teams to care for the most fragile newborns from across southern Saskatchewan.
“We'll be forever grateful to the hospital, the NICU team, and everyone who makes this kind of care possible. Supporting the Hospital Foundation ensures that more families like ours get the help they need during the hardest moments of their life,” says Webb.
