When Matt and Tabbitha Thompson began planning a golf tournament, they knew exactly where they wanted the proceeds to go.

On Saturday, September 26, the couple will welcome golfers and community supporters to Stittsville Golf Course for the first annual Bogeys for Babies Golf Tournament.

Bogeys for Babies GolF Tournament 

Proceeds will support essential equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Queensway Carleton Hospital—a place that has played an important role in their family’s life.

For Matt and Tabbitha, Queensway Carleton Hospital isn’t simply where their family receives medical care. It is woven into their story.

Their journey with QCH began with the births of their sons, Waylen and Wyatt. Like many parents navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic, they found reassurance in the nurses who eased their fears and celebrated every milestone.

“Even when everything felt uncertain, we always knew we were in very good hands.” Matt says. “You don’t have to worry when you’re there. You know you’re going to get really great care.”

During Tabbitha’s third pregnancy, everything changed.

A rare placental condition led to a catastrophic emergency delivery nearly two months early. After suffering significant blood loss, Tabbitha was rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition and underwent emergency surgery.

At just 31 weeks, baby Mazie was born weighing three pounds, six ounces. She was tiny and delicate—but determined.

“It was such a miracle when she was born,” Matt recalls. “She was small, but she was also tough. She is our little firecracker.”

Once Mazie was stable enough to be transferred, she arrived at the Childbirth Centre at Queensway Carleton Hospital. Every day, Matt and Tabbitha walked through the door of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit knowing their daughter was surrounded by extraordinary people.

The nurses celebrated every ounce Mazie gained. They dressed her in tiny outfits, wrapped her in handmade quilts and cared for her tenderly until the long-awaited day she was ready to go home.

“It was such a comforting feeling,” Tabbitha says. “We knew she was safe and loved, and we could see just how much everyone cared about her. They weren’t only caring for our daughter—they were caring for our whole family.”

“It was such a comforting feeling,” Tabbitha says. “We knew she was safe and loved, and we could see just how much everyone cared about her. They weren’t only caring for our daughter—they were caring for our whole family.”

QCH has continued to be there for the Thompsons—from emergency visits with an adventurous toddler to Tabbitha’s recovery from a serious bowel obstruction.

“It feels like our hospital,” Tabbitha says. “Every time we’ve walked through those doors, we’ve been treated so well. Everyone has been so good to us.”

Now, Matt and Tabbitha are inviting the community to join them in giving back.

Approximately 2,500 babies are born at QCH each year. Funds raised through Bogeys for Babies will help provide essential equipment for the Childbirth Centre at QCH.