Fort Saskatchewan firefighters helped raise thousands to help pay the medical bills of Avery Beatch, the 4-month-old daughter of local firefighter Aaron Beatch.
The firefighters held a fundraising event on Saturday (July 8) at the Fort Saskatchewan Walmart, which helped to raise $3,501 towards the families GoFundMe page.
Avery is a triplet born on March 6 alongside her sisters, Hailey and Natalie. Aaron said that they knew there was a problem before Avery was even born.
"They presented that there was a good possibility that Avery might not survive to birth, and if that was the case, we would likely lose all three," said Aaron. "If she did make it to birth, they told me it was likely she would only live for a few minutes."
Miraculously, Avery survived childbirth and at just over 4-months-old, is still alive, albeit with serious defects, having her first surgery at just three days old.
Doctors say that Avery will require several more surgeries and procedures to survive.
"At the beginning, it was devastating," said Aaron. "It's a lot to handle at any time."
One of Aaron's former classmates and friend, Lisa Smith, took the initiative to create the GoFundMe for the Beatch family. On top of that, Fort Saskatchewan associate Fire Chief Jay Parsons helped orchestrate the Saturday fundraising event.
"They've decided to go out of their way and bless our family. It's not something I ever asked them to do," added Aaron.
The GoFundMe has reached just over $6,500 of its $15,000 goal. You can donate to the Beatch family by visiting the GoFundMe page here.