Le Nouvelliste / Marie-Josée Montminy
Champlain artist Zabel witnessed the realization of her “pay it forward” initiative for the neonatal unit at the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine on Saturday.
In addition to unveiling her painting donated to the unit, she also saw the 50 zero-gravity chairs purchased thanks to the money she contributed to the foundation, a donation drawn from the profits of her Virage exhibition.
Victor, the son of Isabelle Parent (Zabel is her artist name), was born at 25 weeks gestation on November 18, 2013, weighing a mere 790 grams. The baby spent the first 100 days of his life in intensive care and was hospitalized for a total of four and a half months after his premature birth.
Also parents of three other children, Mrs. Parent and her partner spent as much time as possible by their son’s side at Sainte-Justine, managing the situation day by day.
Reflecting on the care her son and family received at the Montreal hospital, Zabel wanted to express her gratitude, and she did so through her art. She donated 40% of the profits from the sale of paintings from her Virage exhibition in the fall.