With all the Christmas rush of gifts, parties, dinners and last minute shopping, it is a wonder that we can all remain sane trying to get everything organized. But for some people, none of this excitement will be fulfilled because they are dealing with something that has taken a much larger priority. Parents that have babies born premature in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) don’t get an opportunity to celebrate Christmas as you or I would because their baby is struggling to survive in the NICU.
Imagine that the greatest joy of celebrating your baby’s first Christmas and you have to celebrate it in the NICU. This is why the Christmas Bear delivery to NICU’s in Central Florida started. The Gift of Life delivers Christmas bears that are knitted by the senior citizens of The Good Samaritan Village every year so that we can bring a little cheer to each and every parent and let them know that someone is thinking about them as their baby is recuperating. The Gift of Life also provided knitted Santa hats for the babies to wear on Christmas Day.
Getting the bears and hats ready:
This year The Gift of Life was able to donate over 150 bears to the NICU at Florida Hospital, a few parents at Winnie Palmer, parents staying at Ronald McDonald House with babies in the Winnie Palmer NICU, and to a few NICU parents in the state of Washington, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Ohio. We were also able to donate this year over 600 Care packages to families in the NICU’s and those staying at Ronald McDonald Houses and individual families asking for support across the country. We can only do this through the donations of our sponsors and donations that come in to help with the packages and postage to send out the care packages. We were also able to donate this year over 600 Care packages to families in the NICU’s and those staying at Ronald McDonald Houses and individual families asking for support across the country.
Words from a preemie parent:
My son Emerson is a current patient at Florida hospital in the NICU. We received your teddy bear and it brightened our day.
Thank you so much for your kindness during this difficult time.
Delivering Bears and Hats to the Florida Hospital NICU
Delivering Hats and Bears to Parents at Winnie Palmer NICU
Delivering Hats and Bears to Ronald McDonald House for parents of preemies who are at Winnie Palmer NICU.
Watch as we deliver to Florida Hospital NICU the Love Bears this year. Celebrity singer Jody McBrayer, dedicated this special song to our families when he sang at our Charity Christmas gala this past year.
A big thank you to our volunteers Keitra Robinson, Jackie Pettit, Marcus Moore and Child Life Specialist Summer Bernath and our digital storyteller Bruce Reynolds.
A big thank you to Jody McBrayer for coming t our annual Gift of Life Charity Gala and dedcating this song to the babies.
Merry Christmas
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When Rosie Moore Married her love Marcus Moore, she always imagined that they would get pregnant and have a baby or two and life would be easy. After being married a year they decided that was the time to start their new family together. The year went by and no success. They visited their doctor who said hmm we shall have to start infertility treatments to help you along the way because your body has forgotten how to get pregnant after a 13 year lapse. So reluctantly for a few months they tried it the doctor’s way. Rosie got to the point that she did not want anymore interventions and planned appointments. They prayed to the Lord and said, Lord let your will be done. Three months after treatment stopped on the Friday before mother’s day, Rosie was able to give Marcus the biggest surprise ever. God intervened and they were expecting their first child.
A few months in to the pregnancy after all the other trials of pregnancy, the doctors discovered that Rosie had stroke level high blood pressure and she did not have any symptoms, which worried them. They became concerned and said immediate hospital stays were mandatory. Kaleb’s life and Rosie’s life were in danger. On an unssupecting day while already hospitalized, Kaleb’s heart rate dropped, he had the cord wrapped around his neck three times. An emergency c-section was needed. He had a reverse blood flow from the placenta, causing nutrients not to reach him. He was in danger of intrauterine growth retardation. If they left Rosie’s blood pressure elevated, he received the nutrients, but she would die, if they controlled the blood pressure, Kaleb would die. They waited as long as they could to take him, but that one unsuspecting early morning, their greatest fears came about, Kaleb’s heart rate dropped too fast, it was an emergency. Dr. Walker had him out within minutes in a crash c-section. Rosie was unconscious almost 24 hours, she did not know what happened.
Rosie and Marcus endured a 5 month stay with Kaleb in the NICU where daily doctors would say we don’t guarantee his life. There were days that they both wanted to give up hope, but each time they thought there was no hope, God gave them strength to keep going.
Until one day after being born at 1lb 10 oz and 27 weeks he was discharged after 23 weeks or 5 months in the NICU at 10lbs 1 oz. What an amazing God of miracles. Notice he reversed his weight at discharge from birth!
This is why Rosie Moore decided to put her story of faith on paper to help support those moms and dads that are struggling day in and day out wondering what will become of their child. Even after they go home on medications, treatments, equipment, there is hope! Today Kaleb is 6 years old and although he only has 1 kidney and some digestive issues, the doctors are amazed at his progress and development!
Join 27 Miracles and other Sponsors on September 10, 2015
The Gift of Life Charity Gala: Christmas in the City
This special night includes dinner, entertainment, guest celebrities, silent and live auction to bring awareness and support to The Gift of Life, a non profit organization that offers hope, encouragement and support to parents of premature babies, and neonatal intensive care units. Celebrating the daily miracles of premature newborns and encouraging all individuals & families through this journey.
It’s #GivingTuesday – a day to give to your charity of choice and to share stories about how the charity helped you or a loved one! Will you join by making a contribution to help our families of premature babies receive hope, encouragement and support while they are in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit?
Since The Gift of Life was founded in 2012, we have delivered over 400 Knit Bears made by senior citizens to our local hospital during the Christmas season to spread cheer during the Christmas season. We have shipped bears out-of-state to other families as they hear about what we do, this can only be done through supporters like you.
Thank you for choosing to support our families. Your donations will help families like the Lonas Family who received a Christmas Bear :
“The next few weeks were the hardest times I have ever experienced. I felt helpless and heartbroken. I was told the NICU stay would be a roller coaster of events and emotions and that’s exactly what it was. We went through 2 types of ventilators, 3 intubations, infections, medications, complications and happy milestones. Every ounce counted and I was ready to see him pack on the pounds and thrive for life. It was a long road but that’s exactly what Jameson did. He has taught me all about strength and faith and a lot about having patience. We are truly blessed with how well Jameson did and still continues to do as a micro preemie. The odds were stacked against him and he pushed through. After 143 days in the hospital we brought our sweet boy home on December 23rd. Just in time for Christmas. The best Christmas present ever. He came home with his teddy bear from The Gift of Life, made with love by the seniors citizens at Good Samaritan Village.”
Today is November 17, 2015, World Prematurity Day. It is the day that is selected to raise awareness about the number 1 killer of infants. According to the World Health Organization in the United States alone, 517, 400 premature births occur every year. Besides maternal illness or high blood pressure, diabetes, sometimes it is unknown why babies are born prematurely.
Visit their website for more information: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/
The Gift of Life was founded by Rosie and Marcus Moore after having a premature baby of their own. Kaleb was born at 1lb and 10 oz. He was born at 27 weeks and was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 5 months. What parents Rosie and Marcus did not know, was that besides Rosie being in danger due to the stroke level blood pressure she had and Kaleb suffering internally if he was not taken out, both of them could have died.
Two doctors worked together to save both their lives, Dr Walker( OB) and Dr Bernstein( neonatologist). After the delivery when Kaleb came home, she took him to her OB appt, to show Dr Walker how he was doing. She was told Dr Walker was no longer there and he no longer was doing obstetrics. Rosie thought that was odd, but did not think of anything of it. This year when Rosie went to her yearly check up, another doctor was there of the seven they had. He asked about the pregnancy and when he asked about Kaleb and she shared his age and weight, the doctor said, “you are the one.” Rosie Moore asked what was he speaking of. He stated that Dr Walker left right after Kaleb was born because of the overwhelming emergency of the delivery. One can only imagine the emotions going through his mind.
What Dr Walker may not have known, is that on October 13, 2009, he saved two lives of a mother and son. He may have joked with Rosie telling her when they met the day before at the hospital, that one deceleration( an episode when the baby’s heart rate drops) and he was out, because this kid was going to Harvard. Rosie remembers that day and laughs today saying, ” I should have gotten that in writing.” Regardless, that quiet morning while she slept, Kaleb got in trouble, his breathing decreased and he had to come out. It was like a movie in the ER, doors flying open, codes being called, doctors on standby, nurses rushing. But within 15 minutes, baby Kaleb was out. Not the typical way a parent expects a child by emergency crash c-section.
Today, on World Prematurity Day, there is someone who you may know that is premature or had a baby that was. Help The Gift of Life raise awareness about premature births. Having a baby should be a normal process, but for some, it is not. Let’s band together as a community world-wide and give support to these parents who are having babies before time. These babies and parents did not ask for their baby to come early, so while this happens, lend emotional and financial support.
Premature babies can be our future doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lawyers, teachers, engineers, actors dancers, mothers , fathers, and any profession they choose. Someone gave them a chance, will you? Visit our website to see how you can become involved www.thegiftoflife27.org
Mayor Buddy Dyer is a supporter of The Gift of Life. He wants to raise awareness in our community about premature births and how that affects our community. On September 12, 2015 he declared that this day would be The Gift of Life Day.
Mayor Buddy Dyer had a special message for everyone on September 12 2015.
