‘It’s not fair’: Nova Scotia family who lost baby says health-care system failed them

Cassidy Horne and her partner William Biso were set to welcome their first child Arabella in January.

But things didn’t go according to plan.

“We were ready to take care of her for the rest of her life and now that’s just not going to happen,” Biso said.

Holly Horne, Cassidy’s mother, says concerns were first raised in December 2025 when her daughter was 31 weeks pregnant, but only measuring at 29 weeks.

In response, she says her daughter’s family doctor sent an emergency referral to the IWK Health Centre’s ultrasound clinic on Dec. 11.

“We didn’t hear anything for two weeks,” Holly said. “We went to the next appointment and found out that the referral got lost, due to their new system. So they sent another one on the 23rd, which also got lost.”

Holly Horne says that during a prenatal appointment on Jan. 8, the family says they learned the second referral also couldn’t be found.

“Our doctor even called the clinic, but they said they couldn’t do anything or tell us anything at that time because the system was down,” the patient’s mother says they were told. “The whole system was down that day.”

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Holly then says on that Jan. 12, after leaving several voicemails, she was able to schedule an emergency ultrasound for Jan. 14.

But by then, she says, it was too late.

“Her heart had stopped on the 13th due to the cord being wrapped around her neck seven times,” Holly Horne said.

“I don’t really know who to blame at this point,” Cassidy said, “because there’s not really anybody specific to blame. It’s the whole system.”

The IWK Health Centre transitioned to a new digital system in December.

It was part of the province’s rollout of its new One Person One Record Clinical Information Program, which is expected to be fully implemented provincewide by the end of the year.

The union representing health-care workers and support staff at the IWK said “workers are expressing a great deal of frustration” over the system’s rollout.

“Part of those concerns are regarding potential errors or delays in care for patients as a result of this new records management system,” the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union says in a statement. “The concern of these front-line workers should be taken seriously by government and management.”

The IWK Health Centre said it’s unable to comment on this specific case, but that concerns of this nature are taken seriously and are thoroughly reviewed.

The 18-year-old couple and Holly all said the situation has made them lose trust in the province’s health-care system.

“We should be holding her in our arms, not in an urn. It’s not fair,” Holly said.

Health minister questioned on incident

On Thursday, Opposition Leader Claudia Chender questioned Health Minister Michelle Thompson on the family’s ordeal, notably on Cassidy.

“No one should have to go through this horrific experience. What is this government doing to ensure no other mother has to go through Cassidy’s heartbreak,” Chender said at the beginning of question period at the Nova Scotia Legislature.

In response, Thompson said she first heard about this situation on Wednesday and offered her sympathies to the parents and broader family. She also said she can’t speak to the specifics in this case directly.

“But I can assure the family there will be an extensive review of the situation to understand what happened,” Thompson said. “I have to trust that process and we will continue to monitor the situation.”