Maeva Thibeault

“Before, we took life for granted. Today, we know just how precious it is,” says Isabelle. 

 

Illness has no place in a child’s life. 

 

“She’s not breathing.” 

Isabelle’s mind echoes with the words. Everything speeds up. Panic rises inside her. Doctors rush in. Alarms sound, a code pink is called. A mother’s heart just cannot understand what's going on. Just minutes ago, she was holding her round belly, eager to meet her daughter. The pregnancy had been smooth, the delivery at 38 weeks normal. And yet Maeva is there, tiny and motionless, her skin tinted blue. Her baby girl is taken from her before she can even hold her close. Why isn’t she crying? Maeva disappears behind a medical team in full alert, ready to act. Equally in shock, Pascalin stands beside Isabelle, just as frozen. 

An Essential Transfer 

Maeva is quickly transferred to the Centre mère-enfant Soleil in Québec City. In the night following her birth, she is immediately cared for by a team of specialists supported by Enfant Soleil. When Isabelle finally sees her again, her heart breaks. Her tiny body is covered in wires, connected to machines that flash and beep non-stop. At 7 a.m., the diagnosis comes: Maeva has a severe congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot. Two of her valves have not properly closed, and her pulmonary artery is too small. Her oxygen deprived blood cannot circulate as it should. Her little heart struggles to keep going. 

At just two weeks old, Maeva must undergo her first open-heart surgery. That morning, Isabelle holds her close and whispers the hardest words a mother can say: “If your little heart is too tired, we will understand. But if you want to fight, we will always be here.” The surgery lasts for hours—an eternity. When the surgeons finally reassure the parents that everything went well, hope returns, only to be shattered again. Bleeding. An emergency return to the operating room. Then another. And another. Their two-week-old baby hovers between life and death. “Mama won’t be upset with you. If you want to stop fighting, I will understand,” her disheartened mother recalls saying. Hours turn into days. Maeva holds on. Against all odds, she survives her first storm. After three months in the hospital, she is finally able to go home. The worry does not disappear: tube feedings, medications, constant medical appointments. Every heartbeat is a victory. 

A little warrior 

In June 2023, a second surgery becomes necessary. This time, the journey is less tumultuous, though the fear is still very real. Maeva recovers more quickly. She walks, laughs and plays like any other one-year-old. She is a whirlwind—a little warrior already charging toward the future. 

Amid their hectic daily life, Isabelle pays little attention to her own body and the signals it is sending. “I still can’t believe it. I can’t believe I had forgotten myself to the point of not realizing I was pregnant,” she shares, already 23 weeks along. The family grows with the arrival of their youngest, Sofia, while Maeva still requires constant monitoring. More surgeries lie ahead for her. Her heart is fragile, but her fighting spirit remains strong. Her parents try to cherish every single moment with their daughter. 

Thanks to your generosity, there is a brighter future ahead for children like Maeva. 

– Isabelle, Pascalin, Nathan (5) and Sofia (1)