On July 26th, my wife drove herself to the hospital. On August 2nd, our second son was born at 29 weeks, weighing 2 pounds 12 ounces.For 43 days in the NICU, I learned that planning fails, money matters, and only eight people show up when it counts.Every Day Counts is what I wrote in the parking lot after the drive home.This is not a medical book. It's a story for any parent who has waited for a monitor to beep, for anyone who has checked their phone to see who would actually come.An economist by training, I thought I understood risk. Then I spent six weeks watching my son fight to breathe, watching my wife recover from surgery, and watching a small community of nurses, volunteers, and friends do unpaid work that no model can explain.You will learn:¿ What 43 days in a Canadian NICU really costs and what I wish I knew about coverage before we needed it¿ Why most financial plans break in week one - and what actually helps¿ How to tell who is really in your corner when you have nothing to offer back¿ Why the most valuable work in a hospital is done by people who aren't paid for itA story for parents, for friends who want to show up better, and for anyone who has had a plan break.From Abbotsford, BC - written for the man in the chair at four in the afternoon who was just told his wife is being transferred and has a small boy holding his hand and nobody to call. I've been that man.