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At six months pregnant, Fei Fan immigrated to Canada from China. At the time, little did she know the role CHEO would end up playing in her life or that it would become the place that would guide her in her early days as a mother to her newborn son Gabriel.
Fei Fan’s pregnancy had been uncomplicated and without concern – that is, until her first ultrasound in Canada. During her seven-month ultrasound, everything changed. Her baby was measuring small and during her follow-up ultrasound, they couldn’t see his brain.
In early 2007, Fei Fan made her way to CHEO for an MRI. The results showed extra fluid in Gabriel’s head which was pushing his brain aside. Armed with this knowledge, Fei Fan was scheduled for a ceasarean section (commonly known as a C-section) 10 days before Gabriel’s due date. After his birth, he was quickly transferred to CHEO’s NICU for testing and observation. A new mother, in a new country, Fei Fan was brought to tears when a sweet “angel-lady” as she calls her, brought her newborn baby boy for a quick visit at the Ottawa Hospital’s General Campus, where she was staying.
Once discharged, Fei Fan spent her days at Gabriel’s side in CHEO’s NICU. “The things I learned in the NICU equipped me to take care of Baobao (baby) in the future,” she says, “During the three weeks with those amazing nurses, I watched them work, I asked them questions, and they always answered me friendly and patiently.” At 20-days-old, Gabriel underwent shunt surgery so that excess fluid could drain away from his brain. A few days later, Fei Fan got to bring her baby home.
As the years went on, CHEO continued to be a constant presence in Fei Fan and Gabriel’s lives – additional shunt repair surgeries, emergency department visits and more. Today, Gabriel is thriving and healthy, and Fei Fan found a second home within the hospital walls.
In August 2022, she started her professional journey as a housekeeper with CHEO’s Environmental Services team 15-years after her son’s stay in CHEO’s NICU. Her first full-time job since arriving in Canada, she says, “I feel safe and complete here. I am much at ease, and I feel supported.” For Fei Fan, coming back to CHEO was a natural fit.
CHEO is filled with caring and dedicated people like Fei Fan. Join us.