By admin, on January 29th, 2009 The Linden Fund raises money to fund health needs through the purchase of specialized medical equipment as well as providing items of comfort and convenience to assist in the mental, physical and emotional development of the infants and their families of the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit across Canada. The Linden Fund does not use third party fundraisers. Our organization is strictly volunteer based. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about The Linden Funds fundraising policies please call (647) 225-8550.
By admin, on March 9th, 2011 Hi all.
My daughter is now 2 1/2 (will be 3 in November). She has always struggled with weight gain: was born with IUGR (28 weeks/ 830 grams), then went through feeding intolerance for a while and has just never been excited by food (or feeding as a babe). She has been on a “calorie boosting” diet since she started solids but nothing seems to really work. She is now 20 lbs and has been since March. She is getting taller but just not gaining weight (and getting skinnier and skinnier)
It is very frustrating as we have tried everything we can think of with no success. Currently she drinks homogenized milk with whipping cream mixed in. We have tried pediasure. And all the standard “add oil/ cream etc” rules.
Any thoughts? I’ve been reading about Duocal but it is sooo expensive. I’ve also just read about a product called nestle resource breeze which I am wondering about since she is currently enamoured with juice (which figures since she isn’t really supposed to have it!). But of course I have no idea where to actually get anything other than pediasure in Canada anyway.
Hints, suggestions etc. welcome!
Cheryl
By admin, on December 31st, 2010 
On June 24, 1989, after 29 weeks of pregnancy, I gave birth to our first daughter, Melissa. Pre-eclampsia forced a midnight run from bed rest at Scarborough General to a fast caesarian at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
It was overwhelming to see Melissa turn her head and wink at us on ultrasound that night. The doctor was surprised and said it was a rare occurrence. Knowing she was a reassuring and viable 4 pounds, we chose her middle name, Joy, right then.
She was only on oxygen for one hour as luckily she could breathe alone after that. The monitors and sensors made us feel so disconnected from her. All we could do sometimes was to rub a small area of her back for contact and comfort. At one point they shaved her head ready to insert the IV there but it wasn’t required in the end. Her weight plummeted to about 2 lbs. before it rose again.
After five days in the NICU the incubator was needed for incoming twins and triplets so she was transported to our nearest hospital, East York General. There I learned to breast and tube feed her. Her father, Stewart, was thrilled to be able to tube feed her from his finger.
Two weeks later, at five pounds, she was able to come home. The daily bus trips to feed and be with her each day were over.
Today Melissa is a healthy 17-year-old, karate black belt, getting ready to go off to University. She has chosen Kinesiology as her area of study. Her birth and her interaction with medical and alternative therapies have pointed her in that direction.
I admire the Linden Fund very much for its work and support its efforts. The emotional and physical stresses are hard to describe. So many tears are shed – feelings of joy, of fear, of inadequacy. Every kindness at this time is truly appreciated.
By admin, on December 31st, 2010 
On January 28th, 2006, after just 26 weeks of pregnancy, I gave birth to my son, Andrius. Up until then, my knowledge about premature babies was very limited. I remember desperately wanting a preemie cabbage patch kid when I was seven years old, thinking how cute they were. The trivialization of this severe medical condition even continued in my mind as we were driving to the hospital and I naively thought how great it would be if the baby was born today, assuming that we would be able to take him home. After the critical 25 week mark, parents breathe a sigh of relief because they are aware that the fetus is now viable, meaning that the baby is able to survive outside the womb. A less know fact is the prevalence of babies that die every day due to pre-term births.
Andrius was born in Markham Stoufville Hospital and was immediately transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. My husband and I only saw him for a brief moment and were given a Polaroid picture of him in case he passed away. The photo of a tiny baby on a life support machine was a lot different than the birth announcement photos most parents receive after their baby is born. When we arrived in the NICU the next day, I couldn’t believe how small he was.
Born just under 2 pounds, he could practically fit in the palm of my husband’s hand. For the next two months we travelled daily to the hospital, spending hours a day standing by his isolette and praying that he would survive this tremendous ordeal. The level of stress and anxiety we felt is indescribable; living each day not knowing if he would make it through the night. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in the NICU. 
Finally the joyous day came when he was transferred to the level 2 nursery in Markham Stouffville Hospital. We were so thankful to have him close to home, alleviating the daily stress of commuting to Toronto. During his stay, Andrius learned how to bottle and breastfeed and after a couple of weeks, weighing 8 pounds, the doctor decided that he was strong enough to come home.
During his stay at Mount Sinai, I started enquiring about local charities that provided assistance to the NICU and was referred to The Linden Fund. After viewing their website, I was shocked to see that the Linden Fund was started by one lady, Lauren, who herself had a baby, Linden, at 27 weeks gestation. I am proud to say that I am now an active volunteer for The Linden Fund and am able to help families in the same situation that we were in.
Today, Andrius is a healthy and chubby year old. So far he has no developmental delays and is reaching all milestones for babies his corrected age (9 months) . Our family was truly blessed to have our baby boy get through this enormous ordeal and thank God every day for giving us the precious gift of life.
By admin, on May 31st, 2010 Hi. My daughter Daphne was born @ 27 weeks is now 7 years old. Through-out pre-school and into SK she had received continual support via speech/language and OT. Her first year of school was SK and when we moved to a new area the school felt that Grade 1 was the place for her, despite the lengthy list of delays. Here we are approaching the end of Grade 1, with a fairly radical modified programme in place she has been assessed at a pre-Grade 1 level. I’m not surprised by this but when I tabled the thought that perhaps it would be best for Daphne to repeat Grade 1 the idea was squashed. The school wants to promote her to Grade 2 with what I would expect would be an even more severely modified education plan in place. If anyone has had any experience or input with this sort of situation, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. I obviously want to do what is best for her but knowing that she will still likely need resource support throughout her education irregardless of potentially holding her back. The issue for the school is that they feel it is too early to tell whether they are looking at a delay or a learning disability. I’d rather not be faced with holding her back at Grade 3 where socially it would be more impactful to Daphne. Thanks, Nicole
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