Meet Arabella
Arabella is a strong little girl who is always on the move! She loves playing outside, swinging on swings and cars and trucks. After spending her first seven months of life at the Stollery, Arabella knows that with the help of her Stollerific team, anything is possible.
Shortly after learning they were having multiples, Arabella’s parents travelled back and forth from Grande Prairie to Edmonton throughout their high-risk pregnancy to closely monitor mom and babies. While they knew Arabella would be born with some medical issues including a cleft lip and multiple heart concerns, they didn’t anticipate her being born with a blockage in her esophagus. Arabella and her sister were delivered at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton where they quickly learned that Arabella’s esophagus and trachea were joined, causing her to breathe into her stomach and swallow into her lungs. Needing expert care only the Stollery Children’s Hospital could provide, she was immediately transferred to the Stollery Children’s Hospital for further care.
While Arabella took an ambulance ride over to the Stollery, her twin sister Ava stayed at the Stollery Philip C. Etches Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for a few weeks.
Arabella was intubated as soon as she arrived at the Stollery. The next step for the team was to find a way to successfully feed Arabella. After four months and multiple tube feeding tube trials, a successful combination was found. With a push of two buttons, Arabella’s parents were able to make sure she got the nutrients she needed.
After a successful cleft lip and dental line repair, Arabella could finally go home at 10 months old. In February 2024, Arabella returned to the Stollery for open-heart surgery to fix the hole between her left and right ventricle. She was up walking the next day and was discharged four days later. Arabella is closely monitored by her team and her family is grateful to have a world-class hospital close to home.