Diamond Family Foundation

As mothers, Jill Diamond, and her sister Lauri Glotman know how fortunate they were to hold their babies close after birth. But, not all parents get that chance. Some babies arrive and need the immediate, life-saving care provided at BC Women’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Many babies are born with serious, life-threatening complications,” says Jill. “I want these babies to have the best chances for survival. What could be more important than saving the life of a child?”

Jill became personally involved in fundraising for the NICU as a member of the Hope Starts Here Campaign cabinet, inspired after seeing the extraordinary struggles of these tiny patients and the exceptional care they receive. Knowing the plight of those tiny patients and their families is what inspired the Diamond Family to donate at the leadership level to the Hope Starts Here Campaign.

“You can’t come away from the NICU without being moved,” says Jill. “It’s emotionally draining to see these tiny babies fighting for their lives, and witness their parents’ pain and worry. Yet, at the same time you feel their hope. We envisioned the future with BC Women’s as a world leader in caring for vulnerable babies and their families.”

The Hope Starts Here Campaign was successfully completed with the opening of the new NICU on October 29, 2017, thanks to a community full of generous donors. New and expectant mothers and their newborns now have state-of-the-art facilities and 70 private rooms.

This NICU is North America’s first purpose-built unit of its kind. Ten rooms allow mothers to receive their postpartum care in the same room, and from the same nurse as their newborns needing intensive care. That means mothers and babies  are never separated after birth.

The Diamond family is renowned for its generosity and commitment to supporting BC Women’s and other projects. It’s a tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation.

“Giving back is a core value of our family,” says Leslie Diamond, Jill’s mother. “It is important in our Jewish faith to give back and help others. “We’re a family of strong women,” she adds. “Supporting an organization that supports the health needs of women from maternity onward is a way of honouring this legacy.”

Learn about supporting our current capital projects here, or by getting in touch with Beth Ann Locke.