Beanie Baby-sized preemie grows up, gives back to hospital that saved her life

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This article was published 24/05/2017 (2522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Clarissa Spence will be jigging her way into the hearts of onlookers at the 31st Teddy Bears’ Picnic on Sunday and then paying it forward.

Clarissa, 12, will be performing traditional Métis jigging, and her brother Ryan, 14, will be playing the fiddle in their musical group Spence Tradition at 9:30 a.m. in Assiniboine Park. They’ll be be donating their time to the Children’s Hospital Foundation by performing free of charge.

“I was a preemie baby, and I was in the hospital for six months, and it was a miracle, so I just love giving back to them,” said Clarissa, who was in Children’s Hospital at Health Sciences Centre. “I think that they did a good job taking care of me, and I just know that when they (parents) tell me the stories, I feel glad to be here. It wouldn’t be without the doctors and nurses that helped me.” 

Clarissa was born three months early and weighed only 600 grams — about the size of a Beanie Baby toy, her parents Karen and Darryl said. Born on May 2, 2005, Clarissa’s due date was supposed to be Aug. 5. 

“She could not breathe on her own, she had to be intubated, and her eyes were not open until 22 days after she was born. It took nine (blood) transfusions before her little body developed enough to produce its own blood,” Karen said. “Doctors told us the chance of her surviving was very small. It was scary. They wouldn’t even give us a percentage (for survival). They told us she may never live a normal life. But after spending the first six months of her life in the hospital, we brought her home. That was 12 years ago.”

Clarissa said fiddling and jigging are gifts to her, and volunteering her time, especially at the Teddy Bears’ Picnic, is the perfect way to help other children who need to be in the hospital.

“It means that I’m doing what I love, and I’m bringing joy to other people,” Clarissa said. “Just to have fun, sing, dance, fiddle, have a good time. On Sunday, I hope they (the crowd) see a girl who has many talents, and I just love performing for other people and just making them smile, and I smile back at them. I want them to know how it feels to be appreciated.”

Karen said she and Darryl often think back to those long days that stretched into weeks and then months when Clarissa was in hospital. Karen said she remembers her infant daughter was placed in a brand new incubator, an extremely expensive piece of equipment, when she was fighting for her life during nine weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“She’s a lot smaller than most kids her age, but she’s incredible. She’s healthy, she’s strong, she’s vibrant,” Karen said. “Music is constantly a part of her life. She can’t get through a day without singing or dancing. Yesterday, I was out at the store, and she was bored, so she started tap-dancing right on the spot.”

Karen said they have Darryl’s parents — Verna and Ivan Spence — to thank for introducing their children to music and dance. Verna loves to jig and Ivan is a lifelong fiddler. Ivan taught both Clarissa and Ryan to play the fiddle. Ryan now takes lessons with world-renowned fiddler Patti Kusturok of Winnipeg. Kusturok will be playing the piano in the backup band for Spence Tradition on Sunday.

When Verna taught Clarissa to jig, Clarissa was hooked. Her earliest performances were around age two, with her grandmother and other seniors at their weekly dances at the Métis Club. Clarissa now takes jigging instruction from local Métis jigging master Dean Davis.

At the 2017 Festival du Voyageur, she won the gold medal for jigging in her 11 to 14 age group.

On Sunday, Spence Tradition will perform about 10 songs, including some of Clarissa and Ryan’s favourite pieces such as the Red River Jig, the Métis Sash Dance and the Orange Blossom Special. Joining Clarissa in some of the jigs will be her cousin Danya Mozdzen.

The Spence Tradition brother-sister duo play two or three gigs per month and donate to their chosen charity.

“I asked them to pick a charity that was really important to them and hits close to home. The Children’s Hospital Foundation does so much good for all the babies, especially the preemies,” Karen said.

“At least once or twice a year, we’ll stop by the NICU, and I bring her to see the doctors and nurses. I say to them, ‘This is what you have done with the work you are doing.’ I remind them of how important the work that they’re doing is and how grateful we are to have our daughter. That’s why performing at the Teddy Bears’ Picnic is so amazing. There’s so many doctors and nurses who volunteer to be there, so it’s our way to say thank-you to all those wonderful people.”

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca