She was sixteen. She was pregnant. She was the first pregnant student at her Catholic high school in Calgary.
And when she arrived at the hospital — alone, her sister not yet there — the nurses looked at her and said: are you sure you’re supposed to be here?
Not: come in, we have a bed for you.
Not: you’re safe here.
Just confusion. And coldness. Until her sister — a maternal nurse — arrived and took over.
Juliet’s first birth was surrounded by eyes that judged instead of hands that helped. Social workers who looked at her like she was doing everything wrong. A system that saw a young Black woman and responded with suspicion instead of care.
Years later, pregnant again, she almost died. A serious medical condition. Four months in hospital. A birth that should have been safe — wasn’t.
Juliet’s story is not unusual. That is the most important thing to understand.
In Alberta, racialized and Indigenous women face significantly higher rates of complications in childbirth. They encounter systemic barriers — cold rooms, dismissive care, assumptions made before anyone asks a question. They navigate a healthcare system that was not designed with them in mind and has not always been safe for them.
Freedom Tree’s Bridging the Gap program exists for Juliet. For every woman who has ever walked into a hospital and felt the temperature drop.
Hospital advocacy. Birthing classes. Doula access. Postpartum support. Anti-racism education. A team of people who show up and say — you belong here. Your baby belongs here. We are not leaving.