LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -- His mother is fighting for her life after suffering a blood clot, days after giving birth to his new brother Shawn, Nov. 13 at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.
All Larry Wabo wants for Christmas is mom home for the holidays.
On her first night back home, Elizabeth’s husband Jacques woke up at 4 a.m and immediately knew something was wrong. “He was sleeping in another room,” family friend Ewald Lecoultre told CTV News, “and heard the baby cry and went to check it out and noticed his wife was unresponsive.”
Elizabeth was taken by ambulance back to the hospital after suffering a seizure. Doctors discovered a blood clot in her brain. She was transferred to Foothills Hospital in Calgary where she remains in a coma.
(Wabo remains in a coma after suffering a blood clot in her brain. Submitted).
Lecoulture and his wife, Nina, immediately stepped in to take care of the two boys. They decided to book newborn photos with their family photographer to gift to the family. Jackie Standing owns StandOut Photography.
When Standing heard about what happened, she took action.
“Once I started hearing their story, I don’t know, I’m a mom of five and it just really hurt my heart that these guys were going through this,” said Standing.
With the family’s permission, Standing started a GoFund Me Page and was blown away by the response: A crowdfunding page to support Elizabeth Wabo and her family doubled its $5K goal in less than 48 hours.
“I was so shocked and amazed. It’s so cool that Lethbridge pulled together," Standing said.
In the meantime, several other family friends have stepped in to help take care of the two boys. Jacques spends weekdays at his wife’s side in hospital, returning to Lethbridge on the weekend to be with his sons.
“He’s absolutely flabbergasted. He can’t believe how much the city has helped. They would be in real trouble right now if there wasn’t some kind of support” said Lecoultre. Jacques is unable to work right now because he’s with his wife or children.
Elizabeth’s prognosis is unclear. She recently started opening her eyes but doctors aren’t sure if she understands anything.
Her oldest son Larry is taking things the hardest, especially at this time of year. Lecoultre said he recently wrote a heartbreaking letter to Santa.
“He said he didn’t want any toys," Lecoultre said. "He just wanted his mom for Christmas.”
That's one Christmas miracle that everyone in Wabo's Lethbridge community is hoping comes true.
