Racing for the Tiniest Babies
Each year, more than 4,000 babies are born through Sunnybrook’s DAN Women & Babies Program. Of these, over 500 babies spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Professional race car driver and Toronto native, Devlin DeFrancesco was born fifteen weeks early twenty-two years ago. He weighed just over 1 pound and spent four months in Sunnybrook’s NICU. He experienced a multitude of medical emergencies including a collapsed lung, a serious brain bleed – and his chance of survival was low. But Team Sunnybrook was there every step of the way – when it mattered most.
Devlin was a fighter then and that spirit has continued throughout his career to become one of the best race car drivers in the world. He raced in his hometown through the streets of Toronto on July 17, 2022 at the Honda Indy Toronto.
Devlin credits Sunnybrook’s DAN Women & Babies Program for saving his life and is now an inspiration for all families going through a similar experience.
With the support of our community, we want to continue expanding the boundaries of what is possible in caring for women and babies, invest in the technology of tomorrow, and keep our sights focused on a family-centred approach.
