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In 2018, their lives in Edmonton firmly established,
they got some exciting news: their family would soon be
growing. At first, they were hesitant to get their hopes up
after a history of miscarriages. But as Carisa reached the
end of her first trimester, their feelings began to change.
“This one was different in the sense that I had
passed my first trimester, and I remember our doctor,
she was saying, ‘you guys should be excited.’ But
because of our past history, we were really on the
cautious side,” says Carisa.
Over time, caution gave way to optimism and
anticipation. The couple found out the sex of the baby
— a girl — and prepared to welcome her, buying books
and making plans for a nursery.
“Neville was excited. He was reading to the baby at
night, and we were all excited,” Carisa explains.
Unfortunately, the spark of excitement and hope would
be short lived. At 24-weeks pregnant, Carisa’s water broke.
The pair rushed to the hospital, fearing the worst.
“They told us that it’s a 50/50 chance, meaning that
they’re going to put me on bedrest, but they’re not sure
which direction it will go: it could take several turns,”
explains Carisa. “And the turn that it took was a turn for
the worst.”
After monitoring Carisa’s health, doctors were
forced to induce labour in order to save both her and
her baby’s lives. On February 11, 2019, Carisa gave birth
to a baby girl, Jessica Carisa Britton. The Brittons were
hopeful about Jessica’s chances of survival, as doctors
noted she was born with a strong heartbeat, but sadly
she passed away the next day, surrounded by the love of
her parents.
“You know, when someone would say, you have this
picture-perfect family so you have a photograph, and this
family looks really perfect. And then one day that picture,
it falls on the ground, and it all shatters,” says Carisa. “I
feel like a part of me died.”
“I really believe in being best
friends, and then you can
weather any storm.”
— Carisa Britton
The loss was devastating to both Carisa and
Neville. In the months that followed, they navigated
many stages of grief, together, with counsellors, and
with the support of the community. In time, they
came to realize that they wanted to turn Jessica’s
short life — and the few beautiful hours they had
together — into an everlasting legacy.
Initially, the Brittons began talking about forming
a foundation in Jessica’s honour, to support and
thank the team at the Royal Alexandra Hospital who
had cared for them when Jessica was born. But the
process of forming a foundation was complex and
unclear. It was only once a friend suggested they
look into Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF)
that they realized creating a legacy for Jessica was
well within reach.
The couple founded the Jessica Carisa Britton
Fund, with the intention of supporting and
strengthening the community they now call home.
Today, the fund is still growing, and will be ready to
start granting by the end of 2025 — ensuring that
Jessica’s memory will live on through generations of
community support.
“Even though she didn’t speak, she didn’t say a
word, our overall plan is to have her voice be heard
through ECF as loud as possible,” says Neville.
“Jessica fought to be here and she had the
strongest heartbeat. So we want to make sure that
that love is put into action, giving back, making the
community a better place,” adds Carisa.
ecf.ca
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