Elijah

Baby Elijah’s life began with silence. His delivery went much faster than expected – but after that, nothing was easy.

“He couldn’t cry, he had no voice,” says Carissa, Elijah’s mom.  

Elijah was born in Selkirk, the closest hospital to the family’s home in Arborg. His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck so doctors in the local hospital thought he might just need a bit of time to recover.

They were able to get his airflow regulated but then Elijah’s dad, Ernest, noticed his son was turning grey.

Within days, the family was referred to HSC Children’s Hospital, 40 minutes away in Winnipeg, and Elijah was admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The health care team at HSC Children’s ran tests to determine what was wrong, and at just one week old, baby Elijah had exploratory surgery.

Neonatal specialists found that his airways never formed properly while in the womb and one of his vocal cords was paralyzed. Elijah had webbing across his larynx that was cutting off air circulation. Pediatric surgeons cut the web to assist with his breathing and he started to get more airflow. But doctors told the family Elijah may always have issues with breathing, and they may never hear his voice.

“It was just a super stressful time,” Carissa says.

At two weeks old, Carissa and Ernest were cleared to take Elijah home, but they were on edge about his care moving forward because Elijah’s immune system was weak, and he couldn’t afford to get sick.

“I remember we were on constant high alert all the time,” she says.

Elijah was hospitalized at one year old, for severe dehydration due to a virus. He recovered, but at 18 months, he fell ill again.

Carissa and Ernest took Elijah to three separate doctors who all believed it was another virus. He was prescribed antibiotics, but they weren’t helping.

Convinced something was seriously wrong, Carissa drove from Arborg again to HSC Children’s Hospital. There, Elijah was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which causes inflammation in the blood vessels, leading to symptoms like fever, rash, and swelling.

Finally, this diagnosis led to a treatment plan. Carissa was beyond grateful the health care team at Children’s Hospital could give them answers.

“I remember their kindness,” she says.

“We’ve been so grateful for the specialists at Children’s Hospital, for their knowledge of Kawasaki disease. It’s so important for kids like Elijah to receive proper care.”

Carissa says those few years were incredibly stressful for the entire family, but things have come a long way. Elijah turned 15 in 2024, is on an AAA hockey team, plays trombone in jazz and concert band, and loves spending time with his older sister Alianna.

“All the things we never thought would be possible, he’s done,” his mom says.

Carissa and her family felt so moved by the care Elijah received at HSC Children’s that they have generously supported the purchase of life-changing equipment including a flexible nasolaryngoscope for procedures like Elijah’s, and virtual windows that provide comfort and a change of scenery for families in windowless rooms in hospital.

The Foundation is deeply grateful for families like Elijah’s that help make anything possible for kids who need Manitoba’s only children’s hospital.

You can support kids like Elijah by donating today.