MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – This week on Mom to Mom, Local 10′s Nicole Perez spent time with an organization that helps families with babies in South Florida NICU’s during the 4th Annual “ICU Baby Hope Parade.”
Roughly 1,000 people went out to Zoo Miami to raise awareness about the incredible work the organization does for families in the NICU.
“It’s emotional to see the families come back after their NICU experience and it’s also emotional to see those families who haven’t had a NICU experience care so deeply about helping other families in the community,” said Elizabeth Simonton, Executive Director and Co-Founder of ICU Baby.
“When you have a baby in the NICU, it’s often a surprise for these families. They often don’t know their baby is going into the NICU, a lot of them are unfamiliar with what the NICU is. They’re scared and lonely. Our teams come and they lift them up,” said Simonton.
Nicole spoke to several families who said ICU Baby helped lift them up.
“We would drive every day for 130 days of our NICU stay from Broward to Miami and it was really expensive. It was a financial burden we didn’t expect to have. They offered us a gas stipend, which was very helpful. My first Mother’s Day’s I was in the hospital with them. They gave us a lot of support,” said Crystal De La Ossa, a mother. ???
Several warrior mothers spoke Mom-to-Mom with Nicole, and it was inspiring to see how far the families had come after their experience in the NICU.
“My daughter was born at the Jackson NICU. She was born at 24 weeks gestation and she was born with multiple issues that we didn’t think we would overcome,” said Crystal De La Ossa, a mother.
And overcome they did. Baby Elise is now one.
“I didn’t think I would get emotional being here and meeting so many other families but it’s really great. It’s very special,” said De la Ossa.
Rebecca Centeno carried twins and said it took her and her husband 11 years to get pregnant and when it finally happened, the boys were born at 31 weeks weighing only four pounds.
“It was very hard because he suffered from apnea. He would stop breathing for over 60 seconds and the nurses would come and do CPR on him,” said Centeno.
Centeno said she had preeclampsia and an emergency c-section.
“For me it was like I’m ok with dying but just let them live ok. If it wasn’t for my husband and my family and ICU Baby. I don’t know where I would be right now,” said Centeno.
Her babies now weigh 18 pounds and17 ½ pounds and are healthy boys.
Chelsea Mandler and Jordana Klausner formed an unbreakable friendship in the NICU, as both of their daughters were born premature.
“It was just so scary so unknown,” said one mom.
“I found out when I was getting ultrasound at 28 weeks that my daughter Esti wasn’t growing. So, I ended up having to have her emergency c section at 29 weeks she was born at two pounds,” said another mother.
And for Stephanie Harris, her NICU experience with her two children is something she says changed her forever.
“They told me he would die at birth and that if he did survive the pregnancy that he would be basically a vegetable, with an oxygen tank and leg brace because of the lack of fluid. “You go in there one person, and you leave a different person, and it stays with you the rest of your life. That’s why we participate in these hope parades because we give people hope. Just because the doctors say something doesn’t mean that’s always going to be the outcome,” said Harris.
Nicole had the honor of hosting the parade. As a way to remember the babies who did not make it out of the NICU, a tree of remembrance was set up at the Hope Parade. The butterflies that hand on it represent each baby.
This Summer, Nicole was introduced to Baby Kaden. His family received support from the organization and was able to take him home in August, when he was four and a half months old.
The non-profit organization helps families in five different South Florida hospitals.
ICU Baby helps about 1,000 families a year but would like to do more.
To learn more about and/or make a donation to ICU Baby, click on this link.
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