How the Montreal Children’s Hospital helped a family with premature twins

Born six weeks early, Thomas and Xavier were admitted to the NICU at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where they remained for two months.

At first glance, Selene Di Lallo lives the same life as any mother with twin toddlers. She always keeps her eye on them and makes sure they have plenty of toys to stay occupied.

But when she was pregnant with the boys, named Thomas and Xavier, it was hard to visualize this type of life.

“It was a high-risk pregnancy because they are identical twins,” Di Lallo explains.

At just 16 weeks pregnant, she and her husband found out that Thomas had a rare lung malformation and would need surgery after birth.

Shortly after, they also noticed something strange about the other twin, Xavier.

“We heard a really, really, really quick heartbeat,” Di Lallo recalls. “We didn’t know what a fetal echo should look or sound like, but we did know something was off.”

Xavier was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) — a condition that causes sudden spikes in heart rate. During one checkup, his heart was beating dangerously fast at 270 beats per minute.

“When you hear something like that, you get a little on edge,” Di Lallo says.

Early delivery and the NICU

Due to the complications, Di Lallo gave birth at just 34 weeks. The twins were six weeks premature.

Thomas and Xavier were immediately admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where they remained for two months.

Di Lallo says she had a hard time when Xavier would have an episode.

“Alarms would go off and the nurses would come in and check,” Di Lallo says. “The first few times it happens, it really is scary because you don’t know how he’s going to react — now he’s out in the world, no longer in my belly.”

“The good thing was that we were in the hospital.”

A Family-Centred Approach

The care the family received at the Montreal Children’s Hospital made all the difference.

“It was comforting to know that they were working with us, helping us out, keeping our best interests in mind,” Di Lallo says.

According to Dr. Marc Beltempo, a physician at The Children’s, the philosophy is simple: support the whole family, and not just the child.

“We are child health, but we are also family health,” he says. “We’re explaining to them how to do things, but we’re also showing them — so they can become primary caregivers while still in the hospital. That way, they’re confident and ready to go home.”

That support system extends beyond discharge.

Today, a year and a half later, Di Lallo feels empowered and capable of managing Xavier’s episodes on her own.

“They want to make sure that when they send you home, you’re going to feel confident enough to do what you need to do to get past whatever challenge you’re facing,” she says.

Gratitude for community support

Dr. Beltempo emphasizes that this level of care is only possible thanks to generous donors.

“All that work is done thanks to the support of the people who are donating and our foundation,” he says.

Thanks to the team at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, and the ongoing support of the community, families like the Di Lallos can look to the future with hope.

The 22nd edition of the Caring for Kids Radiothon will be held on August 21, 2025, and broadcast on Bell Media radio stations CJAD 800, 95.9 Virgin Radio and CHOM 97.7.

The Caring for Kids Radiothon has raised over $29 million for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation since its inception in 2004. Donate here.