New Year’s Day is an exciting time for new beginnings for every family, and it is particularly special for those with babies born on January 1. The team members and medical staff at T.J. Samson Community Hospital are delighted to welcome the first baby of 2020.

Eira Hope Jackson was born at 1:40 pm on January 1, weighing six pounds and 13 ounces and was delivered by Dr. Kelly Dirig. Eira is the daughter of Erika Johnson and Austin Jackson of Albany.

The family was presented with balloons and a gift basket from the T.J. Gift Shop along with a $50 gift certificate from Edmonton State Bank, and they will receive a case of diapers every month for a year from the hospital. In addition, CEO Neil Thornbury presented the family with a $1,000 college scholarship for the school year 2038 for Eira, which means “snow” in the Welsh language.

“This is a monumental event, so we want to support this family while they are here and into the future,” said Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health, who welcomed the baby and presented the gifts to the family. “What a great story they will have to tell – not only was Eira the first baby of the new year, but she is the first baby of a new decade!”

In addition to her parents, Eira is welcomed by her two-year-old brother Jaydon, who was also born at T.J. Samson Community Hospital where more than 1,200 babies are delivered each year.