Prince Albert's Kara Thevenot during Team Saskatchewan practice at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Feb.14, 2020. Britton Gray/980 CJME

By Britton Gray

Saskatchewan’s Thevenot recalls son’s experience in NICU on Sandra Schmirler Day at the Scotties

Feb 16, 2020 | 2:13 PM

Kara Thevenot received the news no new mother wants to hear.

Thevenot’s first son, Kaden, was born 34 weeks into pregnancy, roughly six weeks premature three years go.

Kaden had to spend nine days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

“It’s always scary,” The Saskatchewan lead said following her team’s practice on Friday. “But you know that they’re in a very good place and you just kind of take it as it is.

“We got told right away that he was doing very well and he was four-and-a-half pounds, so he wasn’t super tiny. You just know that he’s in the best hands possible and hope that every day they get a little bit stronger and he did.”

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Now she’s helping the Sandra Schmirler Foundation raise money at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts to help save babies lives.

Schmirler, a three-time Scotties champion and skip of the 1998 Winter Olympics gold medal rink, died of cancer in 2000 when she was 36 years old.

Every year since Schmirler’s death, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts has dedicated a day to raise funds for the foundation. The money goes towards benefiting hospitals and NICUs across the country.

“It’s something that’s near and dear to my heart and just a great cause,” said Thevenot. “When you’re in the NICU, the care that you get and the level of specialties in there it was just phenomenal. You know that your kid is being taken care of but without the money and the funding to get all of that equipment, those wouldn’t be possible.”

Thevenot is hoping to find time on Sunday to help answer phones for the annual telethon, the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year.

“It’s a really big thing for us with Sandra being from Saskatchewan and we’re going to be there in the morning for a little bit,” Thevenot said.

Thevenot’s family will be growing by one once again, as she is pregnant with her second child.

“I’m only 12-and-a-half weeks pregnant so I’m not showing yet and stuff so you just try not to think about it too much,” Thevenot said. “That’s the great thing about curling. It’s a sport where you can curl and be pregnant. It’s great to see all these competitive curlers who aren’t putting their life on hold and they’re creating their families and still be able to live their dream at the same time.”

Thevenot’s teammate, Jessie Hunkin, is also pregnant with her first child.

“It’s been exciting and a little bit uncomfortable as you start growing but it’s nothing you can’t handle,” Hunkin said.

Hunkin will also try to help out to raise money during Schmirler day.

“Being an expectant mother you just never know what you’re going to need so any way I can help out, I’ll definitely be there,” Hunkin said. “I hope I never have to use it but you never know.”

People can donate to the foundation on Sunday by calling 1-866-210-6011.

“You don’t think it’s ever going to be you that’s going to need (the NICU) and you think that your pregnancies are going to be great and you’re going to have this wonderful delivery but that’s not always going to happen,” Thevenot said.

“It’s something that I never really thought about before and now it just means a lot more to me than it did before.”