When Reanna Verbeurgt thinks back to her son Waylon’s first days of life, she remembers the fear and uncertainty every parent wishes to avoid. In 2024, she and her fiancé, Terrel Wolf, the proud parents of one-year-old Isabella, couldn’t wait to welcome a new member to their family.

“We never imagined our journey would begin with emergency surgery, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay at Regina’s General Hospital and months of uncertainty,” says Reanna.

The pregnancy had been progressing normally until November 1 when her water unexpectedly broke at 27 weeks. Suddenly, she was being admitted to the Regina General Hospital and hearing words like prematurity and NICU. Reanna was terrified but hoped that she could keep the baby inside a little longer. Then an infection developed and the focus shifted from prolonging the pregnancy to delivering Waylon safely.

Baby Waylon was born on November 6, at just 28 weeks and two days gestation, weighing only two pounds, four ounces. Since Reanna was under general anesthesia for her emergency C-section, she did not meet Waylon until almost 24 hours after he was born. When she finally saw him, Waylon was inside an isolette, a specialized bed system for NICU babies, surrounded by machines.

“Instead of counting fingers and toes, I was trying to understand monitors and medical terms while wondering if my baby was going to survive,” she says. “No mother imagines their first meeting with their baby happening that way.”

Waylon spent 65 days in our NICU while Reanna watched and worried. Through it all, the NICU nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and support staff cared for Waylon, while also supporting Reanna and Terrel who had to leave their baby behind each night.

“I don’t think there are enough words to thank the nurses and doctors,” she says. “They cared for our son during the most vulnerable time of his life.”

Hope came in milestones. Holding Waylon for the first time after nearly two weeks. Feeding him his first bottle. Watching every gram gained, every wire removed. And, most memorably, seeing NICU staff help Isabella meet her baby brother for the first time on Christmas Day.

After 65 days, Waylon finally went home.

“I remember buckling him into his car seat and thinking, ‘We made it,’” says Reanna. “It felt like a miracle.”

Today, Waylon is thriving. He runs through the house, makes messes and keeps up with Isabella, who is now three and “absolutely adores being a big sister.”

“When people donate, they often think they’re funding equipment or programs,” says Reanna. “But they’re doing much more. They’re giving parents hope and premature babies a chance.”

“Because of our generous community, the Foundation can invest in the technology our medical teams need to care for babies like Waylon,” says Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO of Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “For families like Reanna and Terrel’s, that care means everything!”