Over the years, I’ve learned many lessons in life, on and off duty. Compassion and empathy immediately come to mind and I’ll share with you why.
I was never more humbled than when I walked into Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto in April of 2001, praying that they could save my daughter’s life. Bailey was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. At 9 days old, she received a heart transplant. A month later, she developed an infection and passed away.
They say that ‘life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.’ Bailey may not have taken many breaths in her short life, but her memory lives on. I remember the compassion and empathy that was given to me by all the Doctors and nurses in Toronto and I now try to pay it forward to those who need it.
In Bailey’s honour, I am an advocate for Organ & Tissue Donation and am a regular blood donor. Every year, I encourage family and friends to roll up their sleeves in an effort to replace the 140 units of blood and blood products that Bailey received at Sick Kids.
My wife and I have since had two beautiful and healthy children who both know that their ‘big sister’ in heaven will always be their guardian angel.
