Reasons to Give
It's been a little while since I've written anything on here, and that's definitely good news! Abby continues to do well and has been making excellent progress with her gross motor skills. I'll have an update for everyone after our visit to clinic tomorrow. Today's post has a different goal.
This season is obviously a time when many people think to give to others. I know it can be kind of overwhelming when faced with various opportunities to give gifts or serve others. I truly love it though and am always thrilled by the great ideas people have to give to others. One of these people is Lizzie, whose daughter was born with spina bifida just a few weeks before Abby. She's organizing an effort to give back to Primary Children's Hospital. And yes, I'm on board with this! While her drive is specifically targeted toward the NICU, I know that we experienced generosity from strangers while Abby was in the Infant Medical Surgical Unit. Here's a brief summary of why I feel so strongly about giving back to this hospital (feel free to look in previous posts if you feel you want to learn more about what Abby has experienced at both Primary Children's and Shriners - another amazing hospital).
Abby was an in-patient in the IMSU for 3.5 weeks, from the day she was born. During her stay, she had 2 surgeries, ultrasounds, x-rays, pokes, prods, and endless visits from doctors. I feel like we were constantly stressed about the unknown, while still hoping the best for the immediate and long-term futures. At times we watched helplessly. We laughed when she pooped her way through five diapers in one diaper change. We cried when she cried. We watched a lot of Parenthood and various movies. We did a LOT of sitting and waiting. And waiting. We got to know all of her incredible doctors and nurses. I still can't believe we were blessed with such great care for Abby. Her neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon were amazing. I know at times I was exasperated, but I am grateful for all of their hard work and for their refusal to give up the fight for Abby (yes, I'm talking about you, plastic surgeon). We had one nurse in particular who we felt very comfortable with and I feel like she has become a part of our family, among others who made us feel more at ease with the situation.
While in the hospital, we were reached out to by so many individuals. There were volunteers who would make the rounds to be sure each child had someone to play with or had a toy (yes, Abby was a little small for this, but I know it made a huge difference in some of the children's routines). We were there for Easter and each child was given an Easter basket stuffed to the brim with eggs full of candy, age appropriate toys, etc. In Abby's basket was a onesie, a blanket, a rattle, and a few other toys among the candy (we enjoyed that on Abby's behalf...). One day a volunteer came by with a rolling cart full of books that had been donated. We have read our copy of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom over and over again. Every morning a hospitality cart would come by and we were able to eat a bagel or a muffin with some juice and fruit for free. Not having to worry about breakfast every day was a dream. We also got a couple of burp cloths and blankets to spruce up Abby's crib, which made her look less untouchable and more like a baby in a regular crib.
Anyway, that's just a small taste of all of the love we received from Primary Children's and the wonderful people who donate to them. I strongly encourage you to donate to them, if you can. I know it's hard to stretch in several directions over the holidays, but I KNOW this is something that is appreciated. It's hard to be away from home in a strange environment. It's hard for parents to endure the unknown and the waiting and the stress and the tears and the tests and the surgeries. Even the smallest act of kindness can brighten up their day. Trust me.
So in conclusion, yes I have many reasons to give from our experience in the hospital. But I have one really big, happy, smiling, giggling, healthy baby girl who is the biggest reason that I want to give back to Primary Children's so they can give to their patients.
If you'd like to, visit one of these pages to learn more about Lizzie's drive for Primary Children's:
https://www.facebook.com/aBetterNICUChristmas/?fref=ts
https://www.gofundme.com/32uvt28
Also, for the record, the Ronald McDonald Room in the hospital is also another wonderful opportunity to get into the hospital and serve. We ate many meals there that were served by amazing people in the community. Seriously, such a huge stress relief. When Abby gets a little older we plan on providing meals regularly for the people who choose to use that free resource. But, we'll get more into that later and I can give you more information on that, if you'd like.
Love you all and Merry Christmas!!
This season is obviously a time when many people think to give to others. I know it can be kind of overwhelming when faced with various opportunities to give gifts or serve others. I truly love it though and am always thrilled by the great ideas people have to give to others. One of these people is Lizzie, whose daughter was born with spina bifida just a few weeks before Abby. She's organizing an effort to give back to Primary Children's Hospital. And yes, I'm on board with this! While her drive is specifically targeted toward the NICU, I know that we experienced generosity from strangers while Abby was in the Infant Medical Surgical Unit. Here's a brief summary of why I feel so strongly about giving back to this hospital (feel free to look in previous posts if you feel you want to learn more about what Abby has experienced at both Primary Children's and Shriners - another amazing hospital).
Abby was an in-patient in the IMSU for 3.5 weeks, from the day she was born. During her stay, she had 2 surgeries, ultrasounds, x-rays, pokes, prods, and endless visits from doctors. I feel like we were constantly stressed about the unknown, while still hoping the best for the immediate and long-term futures. At times we watched helplessly. We laughed when she pooped her way through five diapers in one diaper change. We cried when she cried. We watched a lot of Parenthood and various movies. We did a LOT of sitting and waiting. And waiting. We got to know all of her incredible doctors and nurses. I still can't believe we were blessed with such great care for Abby. Her neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon were amazing. I know at times I was exasperated, but I am grateful for all of their hard work and for their refusal to give up the fight for Abby (yes, I'm talking about you, plastic surgeon). We had one nurse in particular who we felt very comfortable with and I feel like she has become a part of our family, among others who made us feel more at ease with the situation.
While in the hospital, we were reached out to by so many individuals. There were volunteers who would make the rounds to be sure each child had someone to play with or had a toy (yes, Abby was a little small for this, but I know it made a huge difference in some of the children's routines). We were there for Easter and each child was given an Easter basket stuffed to the brim with eggs full of candy, age appropriate toys, etc. In Abby's basket was a onesie, a blanket, a rattle, and a few other toys among the candy (we enjoyed that on Abby's behalf...). One day a volunteer came by with a rolling cart full of books that had been donated. We have read our copy of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom over and over again. Every morning a hospitality cart would come by and we were able to eat a bagel or a muffin with some juice and fruit for free. Not having to worry about breakfast every day was a dream. We also got a couple of burp cloths and blankets to spruce up Abby's crib, which made her look less untouchable and more like a baby in a regular crib.
Anyway, that's just a small taste of all of the love we received from Primary Children's and the wonderful people who donate to them. I strongly encourage you to donate to them, if you can. I know it's hard to stretch in several directions over the holidays, but I KNOW this is something that is appreciated. It's hard to be away from home in a strange environment. It's hard for parents to endure the unknown and the waiting and the stress and the tears and the tests and the surgeries. Even the smallest act of kindness can brighten up their day. Trust me.
So in conclusion, yes I have many reasons to give from our experience in the hospital. But I have one really big, happy, smiling, giggling, healthy baby girl who is the biggest reason that I want to give back to Primary Children's so they can give to their patients.
If you'd like to, visit one of these pages to learn more about Lizzie's drive for Primary Children's:
https://www.facebook.com/aBetterNICUChristmas/?fref=ts
https://www.gofundme.com/32uvt28
Also, for the record, the Ronald McDonald Room in the hospital is also another wonderful opportunity to get into the hospital and serve. We ate many meals there that were served by amazing people in the community. Seriously, such a huge stress relief. When Abby gets a little older we plan on providing meals regularly for the people who choose to use that free resource. But, we'll get more into that later and I can give you more information on that, if you'd like.
Love you all and Merry Christmas!!
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