When Margit Fredrickson turned 100, her son Karl thought it would be nice to celebrate with someone who shares her birthday. So he called the Birth Center at Northfield Hospital that day to ask if any new babies had arrived.
That’s how Margit met Waylon Bouma, just hours after he was born.
“The nurse said, ‘Ihave an unusual request for you’ and asked if Margit could visit,” says Amy Bouma, Waylon’s mom. “We said ‘Yes, absolutely, that would be awesome.’”
The Boumas’ room was full of family when Margit and Karl arrived. “They just handed the baby to my mother,” says Karl, who snapped a few photos.
“She held him for 10 minutes or so. She was kind of quiet, just taking it all in,” Amy says. “As they were leaving, she said to her son, ‘That was so special.’ It was super cool for us, too.”
Margit has lived in Northfield for 70 years. Her first visit to Northfield Hospital was in 1949, to give birth to Karl. Her daughters were born here, too. (At the old hospital on Second Street, now Way Park.)
Margit was an elementary school teacher, and has been very involved in the community over the decades.
Amy and Justin Bouma live in Dundas with their sons Walter and Waylon – both born at Northfield Hospital.
We’re proud that Northfield Hospital is a place where community connects . . . for over 115 years.