Newsletter | October 2021 |
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A NICU Journey of Love and Loss |
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By Celia Lisset Alvarez
ICU baby Bereavement Supporter
Do you believe in miracles? ICU baby volunteers see countless miracles in the NICU. Unfortunately we also see tragedies when a parent doesn’t take their baby home. The following story inspires us to have hope even in the darkest days.
It was gender-reveal time. The technician moved the wand over the first baby—a girl! She moved up to the second baby—a boy! A boy we would name Arturo.
I went into labor at twenty-seven weeks. I gave birth to “micro preemies,” each about two pounds. “Twenty fingers and twenty toes?” I asked my husband when I regained consciousness. “Yes,” he said, and I fell back into a morphine-induced sleep.
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Join ICU baby to Parade for HOPE |
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We are just 3 weeks away from our Hope Parade - to be held on Saturday, November 6! The ICU baby Team is counting down the days when we can unite as a community and reunite with the families that we have supported and the NICU therapists, nurses and doctors! The Hope Parade will be action packed with an interactive walk, guest appearances by some of our “furry,” local celebrities and special performances. There is still time to register to join us as we celebrate NICU families, honor babies that have passed away and raise awareness about families with a NICU baby in our community. Visit our Hope Parade webpage to learn more, check out our generous sponsors and register now! |
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Give Miami Day is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for November 18th, for 24 hours of online, community giving. Give Miami Day has historically been one of ICU baby’s biggest fundraisers, giving our organization the opportunity to sustain and grow our programming for local NICU families each year! We’re counting on you, our loyal supporters, to help us make this our most successful Give Miami Day yet. Support ICU baby and participate in the Give Miami Day movement to strengthen our community. Click here to add to your calendar.
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Teenagers Making a Difference |
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ICU baby is excited to have kicked off the Youth Ambassador Committee’s second term with their first in-person meeting ever! The Ambassadors are passionate about raising NICU awareness and motivated to create innovative ways of supporting NICU families in our community. The 2021 - 2022 Committee is composed of eight Ambassadors; five returning members and three new members. Seven of the Ambassadors are NICU graduates and one is a NICU sibling. Stay tuned to learn how together they make a difference! |
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Gratitude for Our Grant Awards |
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This winter ICU baby will launch its newest program! ICU baby’s NICU Empowerment Support Tools - the NEST Program - are the organization’s direct efforts to provide NICU parents with access to information and resources that will help them navigate their baby’s NICU stay. ICU baby is grateful to Florida Blue Foundation for their unwavering commitment to ICU baby’s support of NICU families throughout the years and now for their support of the NEST. United Way of Miami-Dade has also partnered with ICU baby to make the NEST accessible to more families in our community, by funding its translation into Creole. United Way’s grant award also directly supports DEI Training and Development for the ICU baby Team. ICU baby is able to more meaningfully carry out its mission thanks to the continued support of these two pillar organizations in our community. We are so grateful.
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ICU baby thanks all of the individuals, foundations, and companies who made monetary and in-kind contributions. We especially appreciate your support during this pandemic. |
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Nathalia Ashworth
Monica Babich
Emilio Buentello
Rita Calvo
Hana Callaghan
Keyla Campos
Andre Carbonell
Nara Carozzi
Rosnelly Chavarria
Chris Chong
Caryn Cortright
Beatriz Dangond
Danielle Fenske
Maylin Fornaris
Claudia Guzman
Daynelis Hechavarria Amaro
Valerie Hernandez
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Patrick Ledan
Anne & Joe Liberati
Kristi Mahan
Isabel Martinez
Charlotte Paz
Marcos Perez
Wayne & Ana Ramoski
Rosidanny Rodriguez
Eric Santa Maria
Sara Scheckner
Mileidy Serra
Krystal Suarez
Martha Trujillo
Mari Valdivieso
Nicole Watson
Weller Family
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Donors that contributed $50 or more in August and September are listed above. All donations, no matter the amount, are needed and appreciated. |
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ICU baby Expands Its Board of Directors |
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ICU baby welcomes Prakash Mahtani, Director at PWC, to its Board of Directors. Prakash comes to ICU baby with the goal of helping the organization strategically grow and develop to reach more families. Prakash says, "I'm excited to be joining the accomplished and diverse Board of Directors for ICU baby and look forward to contributing to the organization's growth journey. My family and I strongly believe in ICU baby's mission as we've been personally impacted by the NICU experience for a handful of close friends and family. I am acutely aware of the range of emotions new parents experience with the birth of a child and empathize with those that then face the added challenges that come with a child in the NICU. I'm excited to get to work as we focus on fundraising, outreach and delivering impact in the community." The ICU baby team is grateful to the BoardLead cohort for connecting us to Prakash. We can't wait to see how his leadership benefits the organization and the families we proudly serve.
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Welcome ICU baby's New Team Member |
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ICU baby is honored to welcome Diana Murcia to the team as our new Programs Coordinator. Diana brings with her a wealth of experience in managing a fast paced and dynamic project pipeline, having recently worked in the real estate industry. This makes Diana the perfect fit to ensure that ICU baby’s programs are carried out effectively and efficiently with a high level of impact. Diana holds a degree in marketing from Universidad Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid, Spain. Welcome to the team, Diana. Thanks for working alongside us to support local NICU families.
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ICU baby’s Volunteer Spotlight |
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Naomi Rosenkranz joined ICU baby this spring with a big heart and a very special set of training and skills. Naomi is a family and marriage therapist who specializes in perinatal and infant loss, bereavement care and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She joins our Parent-to-Parent Support Team performing evaluations with newly bereaved families in order to provide them with support and resources, including pairing them with an ICU baby bereavement supporter. Naomi also serves as a mentor for both our NICU and bereavement Parent-to Parent supporters by providing grief training and one-on-one guidance as they accompany families in the NICU who have suffered a loss. We are so honored to have Naomi on our team and to celebrate her as our Teammate of the Quarter. |
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ICU baby Welcomes its New Volunteers
Renata Aurelius
Celia Lisset Alvarez
Stacey Alpert
Clara Loose
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Calling Former NICU Parents to Join Our Team |
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Want to help other families in their NICU journey? ICU baby is looking for former NICU parents to join our Parent-to-Parent NICU Support or Bereavement Support teams. Volunteers will provide support to parents throughout their NICU stay or grief support after a NICU loss. We welcome volunteers who speak English, Spanish, and Creole. Please email vanesa@icubaby.org for more information. |
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Help spread hope at our Hope Parade, taking place on Saturday, November 6th, at Tropical Park. Volunteers are needed for a variety of parade volunteer opportunities including: registration, packet distribution, water stations, parking, etc. For more information about how to join the parade team, please contact vanesa@icubaby.org.
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Even the smallest of feet have the power to leave everlasting footprints.
We, at ICU baby, remember our NICU families who have lost their babies this year. They will forever be in our hearts.
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Calling all NICU families … we need your Hope! … Please send media@icubaby.org a picture of your baby from the NICU and now! Please include the gestational age when born, birth weight, length of NICU stay, and how he or she is doing now. Please also include your social media information if you would like ICU baby to tag you. We will feature your baby on our social media to give current NICU the Hope they need during their toughest NICU days!
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