Hello faithful readers!! I have added a new tab to the right hand side of my blog that enables you or anyone to donate to the Children’s Miracle Network. If you don’t know my family’s story already let me fill you in.
My daughter Hayley was born on February 4, 2010. She was born at a gestation of 25 weeks and 5 days, normal pregnancy’s last 40 weeks which means she was 14 weeks and 2 days or over 3 months premature. When she was born she weighed 1 pound 11 and a half ounces (775 grams). She was put on a ventilator, given intravenous nourishment and medications and was placed in an incubator. This is a link to a slide show I made about her journey home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzpzlzjiuTg
In total she spent 93 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We were able to bring her home on May 9th, 2010 which was Mothers Day, a very fitting day as Lyndsey had spent every one of those 93 days with Hayley in the hospital.
Hayley is truly a miracle, her original due date was May 15th, she actually came home earlier than expected. She is now almost 7 months old and is growing and progressing just like a full term baby. Unfortunately not everyone is as lucky as we have been, most baby’s born in the same timeline as Hayley end up with severe respiratory conditions, infections, brain damage, Cerebral Palsy along with many other complications.
The Children’s Miracle Network provides additional funding to NICU’s and Children’s Hospitals all over Canada and the United States. Without their funding children like Hayley would not have access to state of the art equipment and specially trained staff and without them my daughter would not be here today. I know that charities bombard people on a regular basis with all the reasons that they should donate to that particular one and they all have a point, but children are different.
Children have no voice, they can’t tell us what’s wrong and they shouldn’t have to suffer. They are kids who should get to learn to laugh, walk, talk, play, love and most of all live.
The left hand picture is Hayley when she was born, the right is her now. Please give other kids the chance that Hayley had, the chance to live. All it takes is a click and some compassion.
Scott.