SIDS Calgary Society

CHAIR

In August 2014, Quinn Isla joined our family and we celebrated. What joy she brought us and continues to bring us. She left our arms way too soon as she passed away December 28,2014 when she fell asleep and never woke up. My family connected me with SIDS Calgary Society within a few days and so began my journey to becoming part of the board. In May 2015, we started a society in Quinn’s honour to help support families financially after the sudden loss of an infant. We partnered with SIDS Calgary shortly after that and I joined the board in October 2015. I am currently serving as the Chair of the society and look forward to many years of supporting the society and its mission and vision.

VICE CHAIR

In May 2014, I became a mother and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Hazel Rose. In August of the same year, she passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep. Since then I have been on a journey through grief that has also led me to searching out ways in which to support other families facing the loss of a child. In March of 2017, I gave birth to my second daughter, Lily Pearl, who was born still at just 22 weeks. I am also mother to Elliott and Olive, two sweet children who honour and miss their sisters dearly.

I joined SIDS Calgary Society in October 2015 and I am the peer support lead contact. I am also the founder of Hazel’s Heroes which provides weekend workshops to mothers after the loss of a child. I look forward to many more opportunities to bring families together to honour and celebrate their child’s life.

SECRETARY

I’ve been a resident of Calgary since 1986, where I followed my dual passions through undergraduate and graduate work in both urban planning and the medical sciences.  In particular, I contributed to a greater understanding of the physiological aspects of the role of the vagal nerve and SIDS.  More recently, after befriending several SIDS Calgary Society Board members, hearing their stories of loss and seeing their renewed commitment to their families, I was easily convinced to join the Board.  I have served as a volunteer for AIDS Calgary, and as a board member for the South Calgary Community Association, and Apollo – Friends in Sports Club.  When time and budget allow, I tag along my partner of 23 years indulging in food and travel. I am passionate about bringing my insights, life experiences, and empathy to the SIDS Calgary Society.

TREASURER

I was introduced to SIDS in 1990 working on a University of Calgary research project collecting data from Medical Examiner files on infant deaths in Alberta. This research has continued to the present date.  Over these years, I met many parents whose babies died of SIDS and learned about their personal journeys.  In 2012, I joined the SIDS Calgary Society Board. I assumed the role of treasurer in 2015.  It is a privilege to work beside parents, who in spite of their own loss, support other bereaved parents and fund education programs and research.

REGISTRAR

On October 25, 1990 Gail and I lost our son Eric, a twin, to SIDS. We were directed to the then Calgary Chapter of CFSID (now Baby’s Breath) to help with our grief. We met many other parents through the support meetings and over time were able to share with and support other newly bereaved parents. The Calgary Chapter became SIDS Calgary Society through the hard work and dedication of many others which prompted me to become more involved, other than hanging banners and bake sales, and I was elected to the board as Registrar. It has been an honour to continue as the Registrar and support the parents, the professional group, researchers, many volunteers and our society’s mission.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR

Professor Richard Wilson is an international leader in investigating cardiorespiratory control, with 35 years of neuroscience research experience and over 90 peer-reviewed publications. With undergraduate (University of Sussex), PhD (University of Glasgow) and Post Doctoral (University of California San Diego; New York Medical College; University of Calgary) training in neuroscience, Wilson has a deep passion for studying the brain. For the last 25 years, Wilson’s research has focus on the autonomic nervous system, particularly cardiorespiratory control, respiratory chemosensitivity, and the biological mechanisms of associated diseases including SIDS. Wilson is an Alberta Innovates Senior Scholar, runs an active research laboratory at the University of Calgary and co-leads the University’s BRAIN CREATE training program. A number of Wilson’s former trainees have set up independent laboratories that continue the search for the cause of SIDS.

MEDICAL ADVISOR

I am from Brazil, where I studied biology and embarked on a master’s and PhD in Comparative Physiology, later exploring cell biology and mitochondrial bioenergetics. I am currently a postdoc at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary studying how mitochondria are involved in the mechanism of oxygen sensing.

I hold a CIHR postdoctoral fellowship, a prestigious and competitive federal funding award, and I have experience as an internal reviewer for CIHR fellowships and other funding agencies. I believe these experiences will be valuable for my role as the SCS scientific advisor.

DIRECTOR

On February 8th, 2016 my husband, Ryan, and I welcomed our first child into the world. Avery Violet Decker. She changed me, for the better, in every single way. Becoming a parent taught me the true meaning of love. I absolutely loved every day I spent with her. Avery was my shining star and the brightest light. Sadly, during an afternoon nap, on March 9, 2017 she passed away silently and suddenly. I joined the SIDS Calgary Board because I want every parent who loses a child to know that they are not alone. I want to be a part of events that honour the children who have left our world way too soon. I want to be a part of an organization that raises awareness of this tragedy and work towards finding an answer to “why” this happens. I believe being a part of SIDS Calgary is a way to honour Avery’s life.

DIRECTOR

I currently work as a high school science teacher in Calgary. I was born in South Africa and moved with my parents to Calgary in the early 2000s. After completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary, I went on to complete a Master of Science degree in 2016 at the University of British Columbia, My thesis investigated the genetic overlap of SIDS and other sudden death disorders, like Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. While at UBC, I also completed a public health research project on Canadian women’s access to hormonal contraceptives. Since then, I’ve continued working on SIDS and public health research with Dr. Ian Mitchell. I’ve also done further research on my original MSc project with Dr. Alica Goldman at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Through being a teacher, and working with SIDS Calgary, I feel lucky to spend each day working to improve the lives of families and children.

DIRECTOR

On May 29th, 1999 my dear friend, Jackie Sillner, gave birth to beautiful Brianne.  I'm so grateful that we had her in our lives until December 27th, 1999. I'm also grateful to be a member of SIDS Calgary Society and to have the opportunity to support parents that have lost a child to SIDS. As a certified Level 3 Common Language Digital Storytelling Facilitator, I help people find transformative moments in their lives and then co-create digital stories or videos that are  2 - 4 minutes long that include a voiceover, images, and music. I then facilitate the sharing of these stories to give people the opportunity to have their voices heard, to have their experiences acknowledged, and to feel understood. While I have done this work with many populations,  I have had the honour of helping SIDS parents to co-create and share their stories through SIDS Calgary. I will also be part of a research project that will determine how these stories could help other SIDS families on their healing journey. My goal is to continue to explore ways to support SIDS parents and their families.

FORMER MEDICAL ADVISOR

SIDS Calgary honours Dr. Ian Mitchell with deep gratitude for his decades of leadership and compassionate support of families affected by sudden infant death.

Recruited to Alberta Children’s Hospital and the University of Calgary in 1982 as a Paediatric Intensive Care physician and children’s lung disease specialist, Dr. Mitchell brought both clinical expertise and heartfelt commitment to families experiencing loss. Having previously worked alongside SIDS parents, he was invited to join the Calgary parent support group and went on to serve for many years as a trusted professional and scientific advisor to SIDS parents and the SIDS support community. His influence extended nationally and internationally, helping to build strong alliances among SIDS support organizations.

Professor Emeritus at the Cumming School of Medicine, his career has focused on the long-term care of children with chronic lung disease. His research spans asthma, viral infections in infancy, child protection, and bioethics, and he has authored and edited numerous books and peer-reviewed publications.

In 2021, he received the Alan Ross Award — the Canadian Paediatric Society’s highest honour — recognizing his pioneering work supporting medically complex children to receive care at home. That same year, he was awarded the AMA Compassionate Service Award for his dedicated support of families affected by SIDS.

We are deeply thankful for Dr. Mitchell’s wisdom, advocacy, and enduring impact on our community.