She left the hospital to the sounds of her favorite singer, Drake, and cheers from the hospital staff. “I’m not much of a Bible person,” her father, Joseph Pampena, told CTV News Toronto. “But it really is a miracle.” He says when Nicole was initially admitted on August 20 last year, after bleeding and surgery, he was told she probably wouldn’t make it. “However, I’ve been told since he was born.” He says. Nicole was born prematurely and has cerebral dysgenesis, a rare condition that affects brain development in infancy. He cannot stand or swallow and needs constant care. While in the ICU he needed a tracheostomy. With her dedicated nursing support and her own determination, she was slowly able to improve. Registered social worker Olivia Coughlin, who has been with Nicole since she was admitted, says it’s extremely unusual for someone in ICU for so long to be allowed to go straight home. “Usually patients who are on ventilators have to go to a secondary program before they can go straight home,” Coughlin said. “So this is definitely a first for us, sending home directly from the ICU. It is a very unique case.” The key was that Nicole’s private nursing team received special training from Humber River Hospital and West Park Health so that they were equipped to use her ventilator and related equipment. The family has set up a GoFundMe in an effort to raise funds needed to “offset some of the hospital expenses.” Joseph, who is blind, is Nicole’s primary caregiver. Her mother died of liver cancer several years ago. Joseph communicates with Nicole by placing his hand on her head, and Nicole, who is non-verbal, indicates her responses by nodding or shaking her head. Nicole is only home for a day pass at the moment, but if all goes well, she will be able to go home permanently next week. And that, Coughlin says, was her mother’s dying wish — that Nicole be safe and happy at home.
