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Kolt’s Transplant Story SPRING 2023 | VOLUME 40 Kolt's Transplant Story
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Message from the Chairman
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Message from the CEO
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Message from the SVP, Fund Development
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Message from the Director of Family Relations
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Kolt's Transplant Journey Continued
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Did You Know?
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Green Shirt Day
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WestJet Cares for Kids
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The Hope Everything Will Be Okay Cam Tait
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In the Spotlight: Thank You LifeNote!
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Thank You to All Our Partners
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YOU are the Key
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212 HENRY ST., VICTORIA, BC V9A 3H9 OFFICE: 250.475.1223 FAX: 250.475.1193 TOLL FREE: 1.877.777.7675 DAVIDFOSTERFOUNDATION.COM
Robin and Bryan live with their beautiful family Kolt in Edmonton, Alberta. The couple had five TRANSPLANT NEEDED: HEART children: Kiara, Karissa, Kashton, Kalyssa, and HOME: Kylie when Robin found out she was expecting EDMONTON, AB their sixth child. During a routine 12-week ultrasound, Robin had a Nuchal Translucency Screening to measure the thickness of the fluid at the back of the baby’s neck. A couple of days later, Robin’s doctor called her to share the results of her ultrasound. At that moment, Robin had no idea that something so simple could shatter and forever change her family’s life. Their baby was positive and potentially at risk of Trisomy 13, a genetic disorder that fewer than 10% of babies diagnosed with survive. With a potential diagnosis of something so rare, their doctor recommended they did further genetic testing to get a clearer answer. The additional testing came back negative, however their doctor was not convinced on the latest results and felt something wasn’t right. On Robin’s next ultrasound, it was confirmed that their baby didn’t have the four chambers a normal heart was supposed to have. With no answers, the DuPont family waited to speak to a specialist. At 20 weeks, a specialist confirmed that their baby had a severe heart defect and was officially diagnosed with Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect, Coarctation of the aorta, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, and a severe AV valve regurgitation, which ultimately led to them being told their baby would not make it to birth and it was recommended to not continue the pregnancy. This was not an option CONTINUES ON PAGE 4