In memory: From left: Tanya, Isabella, Joel and Charlotte Wilson have recently established the Brooklyn's Wish Fund to help support families at Royal Columbian Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit in memory of their daughter and sister, Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Isabella were born 23 weeks early.
Photograph by: Contributed photo , THE RECORD
When Isabella and Brooklyn Wilson were born at 23 weeks, they weighed just 475 grams and 480 grams, respectively.
The twins were delivered at Royal Columbian Hospital on May 15, 2011; two days later, Brooklyn passed away after a massive brain hemorrhage.
Isabella spent another 138 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, one of the province's high-risk neonatal care sites, before being able to go home with her family, and is now a healthy one-yearold.
The twins' parents Tanya and Joel, along with big sister Charlotte, recently announced they were starting a $5,000 trust fund in Brooklyn's honour, in support of families whose newborns are admitted to the NICU.
"The NICU nurses made Brooklyn's passing a peaceful, intimate moment for us, and for that we will always hold them dear," said Tanya in a press release from the hospital.
"I really felt like the NICU nurses nurtured me throughout her (Isabella's) long stay. They allowed me to share my life, my stories and my feelings. They helped both Joel and me feel OK with all the emotions that we had. Over time, it started to feel like our second home. We would look forward to going in to see our little girl, but also to see the NICU nurses."
The family had to make daily 82 kilometre round trip commutes to and from RCH and their home in Aldergrove.
"By creating the Brooklyn Wish Fund we hope to ease some of these logistical costs for other RCH NICU families," says Joel. "The fund will provide support for families to access items such as breast pumps, food vouchers, parking and TransLink passes."
RCH Foundation president Adrienne Bakker called the Wilsons "an extraordinary young couple" for their efforts.
"Their generosity demonstrates a deep empathy for and commitment to other families who may find themselves in a similar situation."
Bakker said the wish fund was a "treasure in (RCH's) fundraising portfolio" that they would help grow over the years.
"It is a privilege to be entrusted with such a profound gift and the memory of Brooklyn."
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