About Liam Milton's Little Superhero #LiamStrong

Liam was born on Valentine’s Day in 2015 at Milton District Hospital via emergency C-section. From the very beginning, I knew there was something incredibly special about him. Today, many people know Liam as “Milton’s Little Superhero,” but to me, he was my little superhero long before that name ever stuck.

At just three weeks old, Liam was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis through newborn screening.

Our family doctor had noticed that Liam’s breathing was rapid and that he had lost some weight. We ended up at Oakville Hospital, where Liam was poked and prodded for weeks while doctors tried to figure out what was going on. Eventually, because he had started gaining weight again and they couldn’t find anything wrong, we were released.

That very same day, we received the phone call no parent is ever prepared for.

My doctor and the pediatrician called to tell us that Liam’s newborn screening had come back positive for Cystic Fibrosis.

We were in complete shock. Devastated. Scared. And in total disbelief.

I was told not to look it up on the computer, but of course, that’s exactly what I did. My heart sank. I had no idea that I was a carrier, and suddenly we were trying to understand what this diagnosis was going to mean for our tiny baby and for the life ahead of him.

The following day, we had an appointment at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, where we met the incredible CF team that would become such an important part of Liam’s life. We met Dr. Pedder and Val, who walked us through the next steps, including a sweat test and blood work to confirm his diagnosis.

Liam’s first sweat test came back inconclusive, which meant returning the following week to do it all over again. His blood work, however, confirmed that he had Cystic Fibrosis.

And then came the learning.

I told the team I could handle it, so they showed us everything in ONE day.

We learned how many enzymes Liam needed with his meals, how to do his physio, how to use his nebulizer, how to give his inhaled medications and how to begin caring for a child with CF.

It was A LOT.

But I knew it had to be done, and I knew we were going to do everything we possibly could to help Liam thrive. I was also incredibly lucky to have the support of my family beside us through it all.

McMaster was where our CF journey began and where Liam received years of care from a team that helped us navigate so many different stages of his childhood.

Today, Liam’s CF care has entered a new chapter, and he is now followed by the Cystic Fibrosis team at SickKids in Toronto.

It feels pretty incredible to look back at that terrified mom holding a three-week-old baby and then look at where Liam is today.

Because right from his diagnosis, I knew we had two choices: we could allow CF to define our story, or we could take everything we were learning and try to do something meaningful with it.

So, yes, we had our cry.

Then we wiped those tears, armed ourselves with information and got to work.

We set out on a mission to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, to help other families feel less alone and, eventually, to create resources from the experiences we were living ourselves.

That little mission has grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined.

And through every chapter — from those first overwhelming days at McMaster to now being cared for at SickKids — one thing has never changed:

Cystic Fibrosis is part of Liam’s story, but it has never been the whole story.

He has continued to grow, create, inspire and show us just how much one kid can do.

And our mission is far from over. 💙