2023 Signature Chefs Feeding Motherhood Phoenix

In 2014 Labor and Delivery nurse, Paula Piccoli went into preterm labor at 24 weeks at the hospital she worked. Doctors prepped the family for a bleak outcome which turned their world upside down. Completely caught off guard, Paula delivered a little girl, Laila, who weighed one pound six ounces. Laila was quickly airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. 

After birth Laila developed grade 4 brain bleed on the right and grade 2 on the left. Given the option to withdraw care Paula and her family made the decision to do what it take to get her through. Laila struggled to stay alive for the first 60 days of life she couldn't breathe on her own. She had heart surgery when she was 18 days old and the family was forced to navigate NICU life for four months. Life was a rollercoaster with light at the end of the tunnel. After 115 days, the Piccoli's got to take little Laila home. 

March of Dimes research combined with modern medicine and the care Laila received offered a glimmer of hope during the family's darkest hour. Although she still has health challenges due to her extreme prematurity, the Piccoli's have been paying it forward to other families in the NICU ever since.

From fundraising to using her crafty side to create NICU grad onesies, Paula is a March of Dimes mission mom extraordinaire who is constantly giving back. The goal this time is symbolic...$8,500 for 85 years. Every dollar makes a difference.