Fighting for Firsts

Thanks for taking the time to check this out.  I am the mother of a child who was born 12 weeks early.  Despite the fact that Iris is now an adult and doing well, the experience of having such a sick and fragile baby still haunts me two decades later.  I very vividly remember what it felt like to leave the hospital with empty arms and the sick feeling in my stomach when the NICU called at 2:00 a.m.  Our family was one of the lucky ones because, eventually, we did get to bring our baby home and have celebrated many birthdays.  For this very personal reason, supporting an organization like Healthier Moms & Babies is important to me.

I have professional reasons to support Healthier Moms & Babies as well.  I've been a nurse for over 20 years and have worked in maternal child health in a variety of settings.  One of my current responsibilities is coordinating the Allen County Fetal Infant Mortality Review.  This team examines individual cases of infant death to determine what was supportive to families and where we have opportunities.  Very often we see families that could use support, education, and advocacy.  As a Healthier Moms & Babies board member, I know that HMB does this and does it well.  The organization outreaches to some of our community's most vulnerable families, building them up and helping them thrive.  

As an organization, HMB advances social justice and health equity, two issues that are very important to me.  If you also believe that families in our community deserve to have equitable access to resources, support, and education so that they can raise healthy babies, consider joining me in my support of HMB.  If you've experienced a loss or are thankful that you, too, are one of the lucky ones, consider making a donation in that baby's honor. It is sometimes difficult to know what we can do as individuals to make a difference.  Supporting HMB takes out that guesswork.  You can be certain that your gift will make a meaningful impact.