Marcie Beaulac is busy training for an important run in May. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community support

Local medical student prepared to go extra mile for Victoria Hospital upgrade

Mar 20, 2021 | 10:00 AM

A senior medical student and clinical clerk at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert is hoping to renovate a room in the maternity ward into a comforting space dedicated to mothers and their families facing fetal loss.

Marcie Beaulac, 24, has decided to run the entire Rotary Trail around the city of Prince Albert—a total of 23km—on May 15th to raise money for her cause. Speaking with paNOW, Beaulac explained the reason why she chose this cause was because during her time in obstetrics rotation she realized how common fetal loss was.

“I think every call shift that I had, we were seeing families either in the emergency dept. with fetal loss or admitted to the maternity ward with stillbirth,” she said.

A gofundme campaign has raised just over $3,000, and Beaulac aims to raise between $15,000 and $20,000. In addition to renovating an existing room in the maternity ward at the hospital, funds will also be used to purchase some specialized equipment, including a cuddle cot, which acts as a cooling bassinet and slows the deterioration of the baby.

“It’s to allow the families to have a little more time with them after delivery,” Beaulac explained.

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In addition to also purchasing a new sofa bed to replace the existing wooden chair provided, Beaulac would also like to have bathing station in the room. Presently the process is done outside the room.

“Studies have been shown if you can allow the families the choice if they want to create memories in that short period of time, it actually helps with the healing process long term,” she said.

Beaulac added any money left over will go towards the expansion of the Victoria Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Sherry Buckler, CEO of the Victoria Hospital Foundation, said families in hospital experience the pain of losing a baby more often than it is talked about.

“What Marcie is doing not only helps bring awareness to this but also aims to create a safe and respectful space for parents to grieve and cope. We’re grateful to Marcie and will be cheering her on through this challenge,” she said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell