Alice Gregoire’s introduction to the world was anything but routine. She was born on Nov. 17, 2018 without an esophagus, a very rare and life-threatening condition. Fortunately for Alice and her family, life-saving expertise was available not far from their Yorkton home, at Regina’s General Hospital.
“It was a normal pregnancy, or so we thought”, says Alice’s mother Rachel Gregoire. “Alice is our third child, and her two older brothers arrived without any complications, but this time we weren’t as fortunate. Alice was delivered, in Yorkton, a couple of days shy of her due date and weighed well over seven pounds. However, she started turning blue shortly after the delivery, which led to an emergency ambulance ride to Regina.”
The ambulance took Alice directly to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care, at the Regina General Hospital. There, the medical team worked to stabilize her condition while preparing her for surgery two days later; the first of 14, so far, surgical procedures.
During that first six-hour long operation, the surgeon created an esophagus for Alice, through a complicated procedure that involved constructing an esophagus from existing tissue, including from her stomach. That was also the start of a three-week stay at our NICU, followed by numerous visits to Regina’s pediatric outpatient unit for follow-up care.
A gastronomy feeding tube, delivering food directly to Alice’s stomach, was removed in April 2023, enabling her to eat without assistance. A 15th surgical procedure is pending, to determine the extent of damage after a series of recent lung infections.
“Our family is just so grateful for the care Alice received, and continues to receive”, says Rachel. “A doctor told us Alice had a greater chance of being hit by lightning than of being born without an esophagus. Despite her condition being so rare, the medical teams in Regina had the knowledge, and the latest technology, made possible by Hospitals of Regina Foundation donors, to give Alice a fighting chance. One thing is for sure, our little girl is a fighter. She’s fierce!”
Today, Alice is about to enter grade one. She’s also busy with tap and jazz dance classes along with cheerleading. In other words, she’s living the life of a normal five-year-old.
“Alice’s story is a reminder of the importance of giving our hospitals the latest technology, and that our medical teams have the expertise required to handle even rare cases like hers”, says Lisa Green, senior vice-president, Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “That’s why our Foundation will continue to work with all of our supporters to ensure life-saving care is available for children across southern Saskatchewan, right here at home.”