When Ryan Cherwaty and his wife Roxie learned their identical twin babies were monochorionic-monoamniotic twins, sharing one amniotic sac and one placenta, they were told an early delivery was necessary due to the risk of serious, life-threatening complications. On June 24, 2024 Ryan and Roxie welcomed their boys Luke and Kade at just 32 weeks. Their journey into parenthood began in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at our Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care, at the Regina General Hospital.

What they did not expect was the extraordinary level of care, compassion and personal connection that would carry them through the weeks ahead.

Luke spent 55 days in our NICU while Kade’s NICU stay lasted 83 days. As Ryan puts it, “From the very start we felt everyone on our medical team was in our corner. They reassured us when we left the babies to go home to our other son that first day, they helped us navigate bringing one twin home while the other stayed behind, and finally, helped us become a family of five under one roof.”

That support became especially vital five days after Luke was discharged. During a routine afternoon visit to Kade, Ryan and Roxie noticed Luke seemed off. They brought him along to the hospital, where NICU nurse Megan Mellquist quickly recognized something was wrong. Despite Luke no longer being a NICU patient, Megan advocated to have him readmitted on the spot where doctors discovered he had a bladder infection and viral pneumonia. A day later, Kade became ill with a different virus. The two boys were moved into a room together as they recuperated.

“If she had not done this, Luke would have been sent to Saskatoon since he needed a high level of respiratory care that was only available for babies in the NICU,” says Ryan. “We would have had one baby in Regina, one in Saskatoon and a toddler at home. Her support meant the world to us.”

Stories like this reflect what makes Regina’s NICU so special. “They are more than just doctors and nurses,” Ryan says. “They care about who you are as a person. They turn a hospital stay into something deeply human.”

From helping with the first diaper changes to keeping spirits high with stories about weddings, favourite meals and shared school connections, staff create an environment of warmth and trust. That sense of community came full circle when Ryan, himself a twin who was once in the Regina NICU, met a nurse who had cared for him as a baby. Today, the Cherwaty family is settled into life at home with their twin boys and toddler son Owen. Looking back, Ryan shares a message for everyone in our community.

“Donate. The equipment and the support matters more than you can imagine. And trust. Trust the team, the technology and the relationships that carry you through it all.”

Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO of Hospitals of Regina Foundation, says Luke and Kade’s stories illustrates the incredible work of our exceptional Regina NICU team. “The doctors and nurses in our NICU care for 500 vulnerable babies each year. Thanks to our generous donors, our NICU teams have the best technology and equipment possible, so they may provide our smallest patients with outstanding care.”