November 17, 2025
Recipient spotlight: Sarah and Ricardo’s story
Recipient spotlight: Sarah and Ricardo’s story
Donor milk helps Natalia grow stronger in Mount Sinai Hospital’s NICU.
Amanda spent the first days of her life in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) more than 30 years ago. Today, she donates to the Milk Bank, helping other preterm infants in the NICU with the gift of her milk. She has graciously shared her path to becoming a Milk Bank donor.
“As a first-time mom, all you want to do when you’re pregnant is talk to others about their birth stories. Whenever I asked my parents about my own arrival, they told me the story with a lot of joy, and with excitement and chaos. Shortly after I was born, I was rushed from the delivery hospital to the SickKids NICU. I spent the early days of my life there. Although none of this is something I remember, the story, and the cool scar, are still with me today. My parents even kept a bottle I got from the hospital.
“Thirty years later, after having my own baby, I was lucky to have an oversupply of milk. I looked into how the donation process works and quickly knew this was a cause I wanted to support. As a former NICU baby myself, I wanted to give back and help those babies have the best start in life.
“Breastfeeding is both incredibly rewarding and incredibly challenging. I couldn’t imagine trying to navigate this steep learning curve while also having a hospitalized infant.
“My first donation was sent to the Milk Bank a few days before the holidays, and we were able to collect and donate 10 litres of milk. The process was stress-free and the Milk Bank team made shipping easy. If I can help even one baby spend less time in the NICU before going home to their family, I feel like I’ve done something important and made a difference.”
Amanda has kept a special NICU bottle that is 30 years old. In the photo above, it sits next to boxes filled with donor milk, ready to be sent to the Milk Bank. This donor milk will be combined, pasteurized and provided to NICUs in Ontario and the East Coast. Amanda thinks it’s amazing how everything connects. The team at the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank thanks her for sharing her story and this lovely photo.
