Welcome to our 2nd Annual, The Tiny Life Project Fundraiser! For the month of June, Ma Cherie Beauty Boutique will be donating $5.00 from every Blowout Service and $1.00 from every Purple Preemie Bracelet sold towards The Children's Hospital Foundation, in honour of Xander Smedvik, Son of Amanda Magnusson, Owner of Ma Cherie Beauty Boutique.

Ma Cherie Beauty Boutique is raising money in support of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

By making a donation to us, you are helping to make a difference in child health and child health research. With your support, we can do more for the children and families that need us.

Please make a donation to by by clicking the orange "Donate Now" button and help me to reach my fundraising goal!

OUR STORY...

My name is Amanda and I am the mother to a beautiful baby boy named Xander. I am also the Founder of Ma Cherie Beauty Boutique in Selkirk, Manitoba.

On Thursday June 9, 2016, the biggest rain storm we had of the year, I gave birth to a 33 week premature baby boy. Prior to delivery, little did we know that in a matter of minutes, I was going to be given instruction by the Neonatal Specialists that I had no choice but to deliver our baby, and there was no guarantee he would make it. Sadly, I didn't get to experience a traditional "c-section birth", as the doctors tried to induce me, my body reacted so bad that I ended up losing vision in both my eyes, my blood pressure was in stroke mode and our baby was detaching in a matter of seconds. I had severe Eclampsia & HELP Syndrome and didn't even know it.

After the delivery of our son, eventually the days turned into one big long string of events of what seemed like a never ending disaster. Now, Krys (fiance) & I are no experts on premature babies, or even kids in general. But we do know now, that there is no right or wrong way, we feel that there is something you should know about the harsh reality of having a baby born before 38 weeks (full term)…

The NICU Stay… Yeah, that was the easy part...NOT!

While I was in high risk delivery, we had numerous doctors, nurses, specialists, you name it, come in to discuss with us the pros to us delivering this early in pregnancy, the risks to me and Xander, survival rates of premature babies, what could and will happen after delivery, etc. They talked us through each option available to us, so we could make the best educated decision for our family's future. So already nervous first time parents, we were scared of what could happen to our precious baby boy. We had waited 7 months to meet our little nugget, and all of a sudden that wasn't guaranteed anymore. Thankfully, I agreed to take as many medications I possibly could to ensure Xander would have the highest survival rate. Then immediately after my normal scheduled c-section, it turned into an emergency.

Xander was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After what seemed to be FOREVER visiting our son in NICU, stuck inside a glorified plastic box (incubator), only being able to look and not touch for so long, he pulled through and was able to come home after 4 weeks. But as a mother I felt helpless, I felt like I couldn’t be there for my son when he needed me most. Everyone assumes we were lucky to have him in NICU and have extra time to prepare before he comes home, and we can get as much sleep as we like because we won’t when he gets home. But in reality, we didn’t sleep, we weren’t prepared, life was hell having to come home every day without our baby. Leaving him alone. As a mother, you imagine your birth experience to be somewhat "normal". Whatever that means. I didn’t get to see my baby for the first time until he was already 3 days old, because I was in unstable condition. That broke me. It still haunts me. Without the staff and professional available to talk me through the challenges of not only having a baby, but a preemie, I don't think I couldn't have managed to cope.

But now flash forward to today, Xander is going to be a healthy 2 year old on June 9th and we are so blessed to have had the successful outcome we did. After a near death experience, unknown future, our family has bounced back stronger than ever! 

The reason for this event is because without all the help and support of the doctors, nurses, specialists and assistants at the Children's Hospital, neither myself, or Xander would be here today to experience these precious moments in life. Which 9 times out 10, YOU think to yourself, this couldn't happen to me or my family. But the reality is it can happen to you, or anyone you love at any given time.

Please consider donating to help us reach our goal to give back to these amazing individuals who save lives everyday, and support the continuous research and development of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at The Children's Hospital Foundation in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

About The Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba

Whether you have children or not, chances are you have been touched by the joy that a child can bring. As a supporter of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, you are making an investment in the future of over 120,000 children that are treated here each year.

The Mission of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba is to be an independent agency whose puspose is to raise and distribute funds for the advancement of knowledge and care in the fields of child health research and, thereby, contribute to the improved health of children everywhere. 

Established in 1971, the Children's Hospital Foundation works to support the special healthcare needs of children through reliable and consistent funding of pediatric medical research, as well as equipment and programs at Children's Hospital of Winnipeg.

Through the generosity of our donors and corporate supporters, we are able to commit millions of dollars each year to purchase equipment, support programs and fund important medical research which provides children and their families with hope for the one thing they need the most - a cure.