Some dates have a way of returning with new meaning. For curler Lisa Weagle, Dec. 10 was the day her curling team punched its ticket to the Olympics. Seven years later, in 2025, it delivered an even bigger life milestone: the birth of her daughter at Queensway Carleton Hospital.
“As the due date was approaching, I was thinking it would be kind of neat to have her on the same day my team won the Olympic trials,” said Lisa, who, against the odds, got her wish when Paige arrived just under the wire at 11:40 p.m., weighing a healthy eight pounds, eight ounces.
A winter storm that day made travel tricky, but Lisa and her husband, Robin Guy, only had a short drive from their Centrepointe-area home. “It was nice that the drive was just a quick trip down the road,” said the two-time Olympian and three-time Curling World Championship medalist.
The otherwise smooth delivery took an unexpected turn when Paige’s heart rate started dropping, requiring doctors to use a vacuum-assisted delivery.
“For me and Robin, it was pretty scary, but the staff stayed calm and kept us calm,” said Lisa. “We had amazing care from everyone — all the nurses and all the staff.”
The delivery was handled by Dr. Jean-Jacques Fondop.
For the past six years, Lisa, who was born and raised in Ottawa, has sat on the board of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation. It recently announced its gift of $50,330 toward a point-of-care ultrasound for the Childbirth Centre at QCH. The contribution coincides with Queensway Carleton Hospital’s 50th anniversary and its “Fifty for 50” campaign.
The Sandra Schmirler Foundation was founded in 2001 in honour of Olympic gold-medal curler Sandra Schmirler, who died of cancer in 2000 at age 36. It funds life-saving equipment for neonatal intensive care units, birth units and newborn care programs across Canada. To date, it’s helped more than 120 hospitals.
“I think it’s important to spread the love as much as we can,” said Lisa.
The Foundation’s gift allows QCH to purchase a portable ultrasound that can be used at the patient’s bedside. It allows doctors and nurses to make faster, on-the-spot decisions during labour and delivery, improving safety for both mother and baby.
“Knowing this gift will support families in the future means a great deal to us,” said Lisa.