Both Aly and Shannon were born at our hospital.
Aly and his family eventually relocated to East Scarborough. Years later, when his mom was in the throes of labour with Aly’s youngest sister, she chose to return to our hospital to give birth to her fourth child here, too.
“Can you imagine? It was an extra 45 minutes away,” recalls Aly with a smile. “The same nurse cared for me and my other siblings when we were born. My mom felt the care she received was second to none and she didn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Shannon’s family lived in the Trillium Apartments at Woodbine and O’Connor when she was born. “We moved out of the city when I was young, but when I moved back as an adult, I loved the sense of familiarity I’d feel in the area just knowing my family’s history here. Aly and I always knew we wanted to settle in the east end.”
Starting a life together
Three years ago, Aly and Shannon decided to set roots and start a family in East Toronto.
“The area has an authenticity to it that you can’t find anywhere else. I’d say the same is true for Michael Garron,” says Aly. “You walk in and it feels more like a community centre than a hospital. You see volunteers in their vests, sometimes there are crafts, friends are having coffee. There’s a sense that everyone is working together toward something positive.”
“We always knew we wanted to give birth at Michael Garron. We loved that part of our story, that we were both born there. Plus, it’s not like other hospitals,” adds Shannon. “The staff are warm, and they take the time to get to know you as a person.”
Shannon first met Dr. Sara Porisky when she was admitted to the Family Birthing Centre in February 2025. While Dr. Porisky was not the Obstetrician who had been following Shannon’s pregnancy, it became clear she would need to perform an emergency c-section to keep mom and baby safe.
“You don’t always know the team that’s going to support you during your actual birth, and I suffered from a lot of anxiety during my pregnancy. But Dr. Porisky earned my trust very quickly and I immediately felt at ease with her,” Shannon says. “She kindly and calmly walked me through exactly what was happening, making it clear that all the decisions being taken were in our family’s best interests.”
When baby Mara arrived, she stayed in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for five days. While there, Aly asked RN Jessyamma Joseph how it feels when they see little ones leave the NICU with their families.
“I still remember what she said: ‘While it can be hard, we often wonder if maybe we’ll see them again one day. Sure, we won’t recognize them. But maybe we’ll walk by and just know that we were part of their story,’” he recalls.
Fast forward to today
Now six months young, Mara is in the 85th percentile for height.
“She’s very strong, and very vocal,” beams Shannon. “Mara is the most important thing in our lives. We feel incredibly blessed to have a happy and healthy baby.”
Fresh from a trip to Ireland to visit Shannon’s family, the couple often reflects on their journey.
“No matter where we end up as a family, we have these roots to ground our story. Decades from now, the three of us will be able to say that we all took our first breaths at Mortimer and Coxwell,” adds Aly. “We really want Mara to grow up knowing how important it is to be a part of and contribute to her community. We hope our story helps to inform those values.”
Our hospital relies on donors to help ensure that families like Aly and Shannon’s can get the care and compassion they need and deserve. Please give at mghf.ca/donate.