My name is Damian and my story began on March 14th 2015 when I was born, cute as a button, in a hospital room in Montreal. My mom, dad and older brother Martin fell in love with me instantly and all I wanted was to be cuddled in their warm and loving arms. I came home the very next day and so began my adventure.
No one knew it at the time, but I was special because I was born with a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. It was 6 weeks later that I suddenly became very sick and my mom took me to the ER at the Children's Hospital right away. Both mom and dad were very scared because no one knew what was wrong. Thankfully the wonderful nurses and doctors at the ER took me in right away and started doing every possible test to try to figure out my mystery. It was only a few hours later that they discovered my condition and told my mom and dad that I would need surgery.
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia means that I had a hole in my diaphragm. The diaphragm separates the lungs and heart in the chest from the abdomen. This hole allowed some of my intestinal organs to get into my chest cavity and as a result my lungs were small and squished, and this compromised my breathing.
My operation took place the very next day. My heros were my surgeons who managed to operate on my teeny tiny belly with a special tool called a thoracoscope. They put my intestines back in place, repaired my diaphragm and I was good as new. The surgeons took care not only of me, but also of my mom and dad who were very worried; they were there to reassure them, inform them every step of the way and answer their zillion questions.
I was in intensive care for some time where amazing nurses and pediatricians took care of me 24/7. It's thanks to all the love around me that I recovered much sooner than expected and only four days after my entry into the ER, I once again made my journey back home from the hospital.
I am now a healthy, handsome, curious and very naughty boy of one year. I promise to continue to grow, continue to create mischief, and make everyone in my family's lives fun and rich with adventure.
And I can do that thanks to the brave surgeons, nurses, pediatricians who saved my life, and who save children in our community every single day.
As special thanks I would like every present for my first birthday to be a donation to the Children's Hospital. The hospital relies on our donations for life-saving medical equipment or fund research into childhood diseases or other critical needs.
Please be as giving and as generous as my heroes have been to me.
Thank you!
*This fundraising page was created by Damian's family.