Our Team

Lee (He/Him) was first introduced to the infant loss community after the passing of his middle child in 2017. Since that point, he has endeavoured to be an active member of peer support groups to help empower those dealing with grief by sharing experience and common ground. He believes that openness and communication are the pillars of progress and is excited to build upon these attributes with other “partners in loss”; navigating loss for a non-birthing parent is a unique journey, and Lee hopes that sharing his son’s story will help others shine a light on their path ahead.

My name is Melissa Fakunle (she/her). I recently graduated in Public Health from the University of Lethbridge. I am originally from Nigeria and have lived in two other countries before coming to Canada. In my spare time you can find me editing videos, occasionally exercising, learning new things, and baking. I enjoy travelling and I hope post-pandemic to visit more countries. I believe that social media is an amazing platform to reach and educate individuals on and I am so excited to be a part of it.

Hello everyone! My name is Yasmin Prado (Dadey) and I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I got a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication in Lima as well. Later I moved to Canada to improve my English and study for a Diploma in Graphic Design at LaSalle College Vancouver.

I became a volunteer at PILSC because I always wanted to be part of a non-profit organization to help people and to make a little difference in someone’s life. I would love to learn more about social help and be able to educate and empower others with a message of hope. I am very happy and proud to be part of our amazing team.

Erin (she/her) has been in the infertility world for over 6 years. She has done many treatments from IUIs to travelling abroad for IVF treatments. She is still on her journey to becoming a mom and has decided to volunteer to help others who are on their journey as she knows how isolating it can be.

I have a background in health education and restorative exercise. I am passionate about helping people feel strong and confident in their bodies through movement. I volunteer at PILSC because I want to help people going through the traumatic experience of pregnancy loss navigate this complex journey and feel less alone. I have two living children and have experienced three losses in a row since my second son was born. The PILSC has inspired me to speak about my losses and talk openly about my grief and personal journey with family and friends. Being a part of the hotline team helps me honour my three losses and contribute to a community that is helping break the stigma around pregnancy and infant loss.

Instagram: @rtreallifemovement

My name is Annie (she/her) I am the proud mom of 5 beautiful souls, dog lover, photographer, and end-of-life doula. I am honoured to volunteer at PILSC in memory of my 2 early losses and my son Ezzeill who left this earth silently 17 years ago, also in recognition of my daughter (his living twin sister.) They inspire me to use my grief and experiences to support others. This community has given me a space to continue to heal and connect with others who have experienced loss and it has changed my life. For many years I felt so alone in my grief journey. I know how important it is to have a community of love around you as you find your way through the pain. Through love and connection, we create space to heal.

@risingsoulphotography

My name is Cong Luo (Hugo). I use he/him, they/them pronouns. I am a current master’s student in Educational Research at the University of Calgary. My primary interest is how educational stakeholders and institutions can improve their policies and practices to better address the social injustice issues faced by minoritized and marginalized groups of people and create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive learning and teaching environment for all.

I have been a committee member of Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Our team is dedicated to increasing the visibility of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and fostering a safe and inclusive climate on campus. As a feminist myself, I believe that it is imperative for men to engage in women-related issues. We are living in a male hegemonic world, but we can make a change and achieve gender equality. I am still on the road to further develop my critical social justice literacy so that I will be well equipped to initiate genuine dialogues among people from different backgrounds. I hold myself accountable for challenging unequal power relations and learning more about disadvantaged groups. I hope we can work together to build a pluralistic and multicultural society

Hi my name is Helen and I go by she and her.⁠ ⁠ I have always loved helping people whether it was the new graduates in my team at work, or the overseas members, and helping them get to know the local customs and showing them around. ⁠⁠Through my work I was always drawn to the group facilitation courses and enjoyed them immensely and gained so much from them. ⁠ I want to give those experiences to others and after suffering my own miscarriage, I want to help support others through the journey of moving forward with peer group facilitation.⁠ ⁠Whilst my training is in geophysics, training the new people, running meetings, being the team member to include everyone, I recently completed a facilitation course at the University of Calgary. ⁠ I gained the Certificate in Adult Learning specializing in Workplace Learning and I love the opportunity to share the amazing things I learned and the journey it put me through and helping others through it to

Hi my name is Frances Kordov (She/her). After experiencing pregnancy losses between two living children, I have felt what it means to parent while grieving, and then to carry a pregnancy to full term. ⁠ ⁠ After my second child was born, chronic pain from osteoarthritis combined with postpartum anxiety & depression led me to completely reframe what I had believed it meant to be a healthy and present parent, spouse, and human being in general. ⁠ ⁠

One of the things that helped me through that time was participation in peer support groups where the combination of people graciously listening and offering stories created a space of “we’ve got you” in both pain and joy. ⁠ ⁠ It’s my hope to facilitate a group where this kind of open connection and community care will support your individual healing and build our empathy for one another.

I am a mom of four; three living children and one that passed away shortly after her birth 16 yrs ago. I am a Postpartum , and Loss Doula living in Calgary, AB. I volunteer at PILSC because I know from my own history of loss, just how important it is to have good support at all stages of this journey. Whether you are a newly bereaved parent, going through a subsequent pregnancy or many years after your loss, being able to talk to someone who has walked a similar path can make a huge difference. If I can help just one parent feel less isolated and alone, then I have done my part.

Instagram: @purplerosedoula

website: www.purplerosedoula.com

My name is Courtney, I am a Registered Nurse that works with Kensington Clinic as well as the Tuberculosis Clinic here in Calgary. I decided to begin volunteering with PILSC because working at Kensington Clinic I see a lot of people that can utilise a support service such as this, and I wanted to make myself available to individuals who need extra support in this area of their lives. Even though my work can be quite time consuming, I do find being able to help people who need it to be rewarding, and I feel as though it is the least I can do when I have the time available.

Hello – my names is Helena. I work as a nurse for the last 15 years and the health care field for the last 18 years.   My journey to motherhood has been  complicated involving a loss in 2016 and loss twin girls in 2018.  The PILSC help with dealing with my loss in 2018.  Volunteering at PILSC is a way for me to help other families going through loss. Hoping with PILSC we can help more families seek help dealing with Pregnancy and Infant loss and advocate for awareness involving PILSC.  I love music, reading and watching tennis on TV.

After multiple miscarriages, I found myself trying to balance life on a mountain of buried pain and grief. It took me some time to work through the pain, the blame and self Isolation but I got there through radical self-love and subconscious reprogramming. Now I have the opportunity to teach other women and folks, how to get from where they are in their grief process to where they want to be.

Instagram: donette_wynter_boothe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donettewynter

I am a Political Science student and dog mom. I’m passionate about social justice and policy reform for disenfranchised and overlooked groups, and I am pursuing a career in law so that I can be apart of meaningful change for high-need demographics. I volunteer at PILSC because the mission is very close to my heart. Having gone through my own loss, I find it incredibly rewarding to be apart of a group that helps so many navigate their journeys through grief.

Twitter: @cccaitland

Hello Beautiful People! I am Samantha, 28, living in Ontario but grew up in Newfoundland. In January 2020, I had my first pregnancy which resulted in a miscarriage. It broke me into pieces. I decided to volunteer with PILSC to help not only others cope with their loss but myself. My hope is to turn my hurt into help and awareness.

Instagram: @Samantha_Jodi

Steven (he/him/his) is a 34 year old father of two who has spent the last ten years in theatre and film and now is on a journey to practice Counselling and Social Work. ⁠He feels drawn to helping those at the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre as he and his wife lost their daughter in early 2020 and the support provided to them was incredible.⁠ ⁠ He hopes to support others in the same way and show people they are not alone in these woods. Steven looks forward to speaking to you all.⁠ ⁠

Nancy Shadlock (she/her) is a Coming Out Coach at Centered Life Coaching. ⁠She helps others step out of whatever closet that is no longer serving them, by helping them connect to their truest self and supporting them in sharing that with their world in a powerful, life-giving way. These same skills are helpful in her work of helping partners through their journey of loss. From firsthand experience she knows it is hard to know how to support someone when you haven’t experienced the same thing within your own body, thus she seeks to embody empathy as much as possible.⁠ ⁠ Nancy is married to an amazing woman named Alaina, they have two sweet babies and a beautiful life together in Calgary, Alberta.⁠