Dear NICU friends,

 

      When we held our first care package fundraiser in 2015, the only thing I kept thinking about was how grateful I was for our nurses and staff. I wanted our two Maternal Fetal Medicine doctors and our NICU nurses to see our twins. Especially after the long battle we had during our pregnancy. I was just grateful. 

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     It was then that we made a long term commitment to help other NICU families. We wanted those other families to know that they were not alone in their NICU journey. With the help of friends and family, we were able to collect donations for care packages and gifts on special occasions. It has been such a blessing to be able to do this over the years. 

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     Then in March 2020, COVID hit. Suddenly everything was frozen and all of us volunteers were no longer allowed in the hospitals anymore. So our approach to care and support has changed. Throughout these last few months, we have been reflecting on our own personal lives and dealing with our "new normal". 

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Everybody in the world has been impacted by the coronavirus, including us as a support service. We are volunteers. We are former NICU families who have had to continually care for our own special preemies. We have all been impacted by this. This time has put us all in a position of reflection and evaluation. We had to start exploring new ways to support NICU families, while also taking care of our own. We had to stop, pray, think, re-evaluate, reflect, accept and re-do. 

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     And although we have each been dealing with our own personal lives and the impact this has all had on us, we have also been at work behind the scenes. Made For A Miracle has partnered with Loma Linda University Children's Hospital to create a customized comprehensive family support program. We are still in the building process and creating this very special program, but we have already partnered with several NICU nurses, child life staff, neonatologists, social workers and other hospital staff to have a well-rounded care team for our NICU families. Our goal is to give NICU parents a better overall experience during their NICU journey. 

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     We can't wait for what's to come. We hope that you all will continue to follow along as we support NICU families and continue to build a special NICU community. We are so excited to have you along our new NICU journey.

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     If you or someone you know has had a baby at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, we would love to connect with you. I am the Parent Ambassador for the LLUCH NICU and chair person for the NICU Patient Family Advisory Council. 

 

If you have any questions, comments, of you simply need to talk with one of our parent mentors, you can email us at nicuadvisorycouncil@gmail.com  

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                                                               Blessings to you and yours, 

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