Payton Ouellette

Difficult beginnings

After bringing Payton home, her mother, Manon, noticed that something was wrong. Her baby barely moved, seemed to have trouble breathing, and couldn’t open her eyes. After several attempts to get a medical appointment, Payton, at just one month old, was finally seen for a consultation. The doctor placed Payton under observation and decided to transfer her urgently by air ambulance to the Centre mère-enfant Soleil at CHU de Québec-Université Laval. Her health was critical—she was underweight, unresponsive, and struggling to breathe.

A fight for life

Though Payton was immediately cared for by the medical team, her condition didn’t improve. “Fear and anxiety took over us,” Manon recalls. The doctors tried everything to save the little girl, who was fighting for her life. For two weeks, she was hospitalized, receiving oxygen and multiple medications. Doctors conducted a series of tests to find the cause of her condition, some of which were painful. Finally, after extensive genetic testing, the diagnosis came: Payton had a rare condition in which her pituitary gland, a small pea-sized gland at the base of the brain that normally secretes vital hormones, was not functioning at all.

A model of courage

Thankfully, medication was available. Payton began a lifelong treatment plan involving hormone therapy, both orally and through injections. For a year, she was hospitalized one week each month at CHU for assessments, and the treatment proved effective. However, the full extent of the rare condition’s effects remains unclear. “At her birth, we didn’t know if she would survive, if she would be blind, or if she would have motor or neurological delays,” Manon explains.

The treatments caused significant swelling, and Payton experienced motor delays. She needed to be taught everything, as she couldn’t learn on her own. She was also vulnerable to infections, which could upset the delicate balance of her body. Her parents followed a strict protocol for any illness that might arise. Despite these daily challenges, Payton has become a model of courage, perseverance, and resilience.

“She never complains. She has such a joy for life, and she’s an inspiration to all of us. And most importantly, she is alive and doing well!” concludes Manon. “Thank you for donating to Enfant Soleil and helping sick children. You are angels with big hearts, and you are making a difference!”

 – Manon St-Pierre, Tommy Ouellette, and Hayden (5 years old)