Welcome to this month's edition of âSpecial Deliveryâ, the monthly newsletter from Miracle Babies! Each month, we will share information about Miracle Babies events, news, and, most importantly, our impact. We are proud of our work and it is important for us to share these accomplishments with supporters like you!
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Share a picture of your NICU baby to provide hope and
ï»żinspiration to others.
ï»żMake sure to follow us on social media! Email pictures to info@miraclebabies.org or post on our social media pages.
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Miracle Babies Founder, Dr. Daneshmand recently visited KUSI to give tips on preventing birth defects. January is Birth Defect Prevention Month and the perfect opportunity to share healthy pregnancy tips on things that can be done to help prevent birth defects. Of course, no appearance for Dr. D would be complete without mentioning Miracle Babies. In addition to supporting premature babies, Miracle Babies supports families whose newborns have congenital abnormalities.
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UT Community Newspaper group sits down with
ï»żDr. Daneshmand and Miracle Mom Leslee
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Dr. D was recently featured in several San Diego publications sharing his insight as to why he chose his career path and how his career lead him to creating Miracle Babies.
As January was National Birth Defect Prevention Month, it was the perfect opportunity to have Miracle Mom Leslee speak of her experience with Miracle Babies. Leslee gave birth to twins last August. One twin was able to go home soon after birth while the other twin had to remain in the hospital for five months because of a rare birth defect. Read Leslee's story below in the
Miracle of the Month
section and in the attached article.
Thank you to Dr. D and Leslee for sharing such heart warming and inspiring stories!
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ï»żThis past month, Miracle Babies was awarded a $5,000 grant from The Rite Aid Foundation KidCents' Thankful Giving Campaign. The Rite Aid Foundation gives grants like this to support charities' efforts to improve the health, safety and well-being of children in the community. Since Miracle Babies is on a mission to unite families with their critically ill newborns in the hospital we are extremely grateful for this grant.
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Thank you to The Country Friends for supporting Miracle Babies and our mission to unite families with their critically ill newborns in the hospital! The Country Friends is a local organization that prides itself on helping other human care agencies throughout Southern California. With the help of The Country Friends, Miracle Babies has been able to further our mission through financial assistance, Miracle Hours, and Care Packages. Thank you
The Country Friends, we truly value your support!
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AMN kicking off the New Year by
Giving Back!
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We are so grateful to our friends at AMN for helping Miracle Babies by purchasing and assembling 60 Care Packages this past month. Care Packages are bags designed specifically for NICU parents with different items that can help them navigate their NICU journey. Some items are basic essentials like hand sanitizer, gum, tooth brush and toothpaste. However, some of these items are unique to a NICU parent like a Miracle Babies journal for detailing their hospital experiences and a super soft and stretchy swaddle blanket and
WaterWipes
designed perfectly for the
extra sensitive newborn skin.
AMN has done a fantastic job in putting together these Care Packages during team building days. It's a great way for their team members to get that bonding experience while doing a philanthropic task for a local nonprofit. We thank you AMN for consistently thinking about Miracle Babies and our local NICU parents!
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This past month, Marianela Camarillo, Miracle Babies COO, met with Morgan Stern, OC Auxiliary President and her leadership team to plan our annual Breakfast at Tiffany's in Orange County. These women have been instrumental to Miracle Babies and lead our Orange County chapter. Morgan and her team are all volunteers and take the time out of their busy schedules to support Miracle Babies. Miracle Babies relies heavily on volunteers to help plan and fund raise for our events. Many of our OC volunteers are NICU moms and know the positive impact Miracle Babies has on parents lives. If you see any of these ladies, give them a high five and
THANK YOU!
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Getting a gift for Valentine's Day has never been easier! Get your loved one a meaningful blanket from BIG LOViE and in return, BIG LOViE will donate a blanket to Miracle Babies. It's a win-win love-love situation. Blankets can also have a personalized touch with their signature Love Snaps.
During checkout, make sure to select Miracle Babies as the Giving Partner.
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The PERFECT Gift for
ï»żValentine's Day
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âIâll be forever changed by Dr. Egerâs storyâŠ
The Choice
is a reminder of what courage looks like in the worst of times and that we all have the ability to pay attention to what weâve lost, or to pay attention to what we still have.ââOprah
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Join us for the 6th annual "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on
March 3, 2020 at La Valencia. Enjoy an inspiring program, hosted cocktail hour, decadent brunch, and exciting raffle prizes!
Dr. Eger was just a teenager when she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. Dr. Eger shares her inspirational stories of resilience and generosity. She takes her stories of tragedy and horror to help others heal. These messages resonate with millions of people around the world.
She is a must see!
Event proceeds benefit Miracle Babies programs.
Click here
to learn more about joining the Miracle Circle
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Team Hadley's Heroes
Miracle Baby Hadley will be celebrating her 1st birthday at this years 5K! Hadley was born on 5/26/19 at 36 weeks and spent 36 days in the NICU. While on hospital bed rest Erin (aka Hadley's mom) was introduced to Miracle Babies during a Miracle Hour. Erin was able to receive a pre-Mother's Day pampering and create a keepsake for her daughter.
Today, Hadley is a thriving infant and her parents are rallying their friends and supporting this year's 5K.
Hadley's dad Travis is hosting a charity gaming stream to raise funds for their 5K Team. ï»żVisit: deathbydanish on Twitch February 29th from 10am -10pm or donate here to their team:
Hadley's Heroes
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Have you ever seen the incredibly cute Tribute Boards during the Miracle Babies 5K?
Now is your chance to purchase a Keepsake Tribute Board for your loved ones! When you purchase a Keepsake Tribute Board we will place it on the 5K course for the run/walk. When the 5K is over you will have the opportunity to take your board home or you can leave it with us for the following years 5K. This is what we will need for a 5K Tribute Board:
- Before and After pictures
- Some birth information (date of birth, weight, gestational age, interesting facts, etc.)
- If your loved one is still in the hospital, how they are doing now or if the board is in memory of someone
These boards are meant to bring hope and inspiration to parents who have been through similar experiences while participating at the 5K. You can purchase a board whether you are registered for the 5K or not.
Keepsake Tribute Board -- $40
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Miracle Babies had this impact in January 2020:
- 50+ parents participated in 5 hosted âMiracle Hoursâ. Parents enjoyed a meal, participated in crafts, and most importantly, escaped the isolation of the NICU â if only for any hour.
- 135 care packages were delivered to 6 hospitals. These packages were delivered to parents with babies in the NICU, regardless of need. These packages contain contents intended to support parents who spend considerable time in the NICU breastfeeding and providing âkangaroo careâ.
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Thank you
to the following Facebook friends who âhostedâ Facebook fundraisers in February to raise money for Miracle Babies:
Talisa Clark, Angélica Garcia, Lauren Maciver, Denise Nuño, Jennifer Dullas-Bowers, Eva Wilburn, Elana Addleson Schiff, Chelsea Mia Salzberg, Sheila Sanchez Rillon, Melanie Leagh Kennedy, Majalia Moon Willow Cooper-Jackson, Alex Swanstrom, Kelsey Smith, Chassidy Nicole Fontenot, Barbara Read-Havertape, Emerald Green, Brittany Flores, Terry Evans
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we
appreciate each one of you!
If you are interested in âhostingâ your own Facebook fundraiser for Miracle Babies, go to the Fundraiser section of the Miracle Babies page and click on âRaise Moneyâ or click below.
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Meet Miracle Baby David! David and his twin were born 8/23/19 at 35 weeks. His twin went home a few days after birth, but David was diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). The picture above is from David's transfer from one hospital to another. His mother, Leslee, says "he started smiling at us for the first time during discharge. Pretty sure he knew he was going home." David was finally able to go home to be with the rest of his family mid- January. He spent more than 5 months in 3 different NICU's. Miracle Mom Leslee says of her experience with Miracle Babies, "thank you for all you do. The few hours in Miracle Hour were a God sent peace. Thank you!"
Congratulations to David for graduating from the NICU! We look forward to watching you grow!
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Each month, âSpecial Deliveryâ will spotlight a âMiracle Workerâ â someone who contributes to make Miracle Babies great!
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Meet Michelle Mirandon, founder of the Mirandon Foundation for Hope supporting women, children and families in need. Michelle is a proud mom to six-year-old twins Monet and Charlie, who were born prematurely at 33 weeks, and Michelleâs experience as a NICU mom was one of the factors that motivated her to establish her foundation. Michelleâs twins spent their first two weeks of life in the NICU, and in Michelleâs words, âOur children were born before their lungs were developed, so they needed immediate intervention. I wasnât able to hold them when they were born. They were taken from me immediately. I wasnât able to hold my daughter for two days. I couldnât hold my son (until) after the first 24 hours. The worst thing about it was, as a NICU parent, you left the hospital without your child, and I have no words for how horrible, hollow and agonizing that was. Fortunately, our children did extremely well in the NICU.â
Michelle knows firsthand what our Miracle Babies moms experience. Michelle and the Mirandon Foundation for Hope have supported Miracle Babies at our signature events and have also sponsored Miracle Hours. For the past four years they have sponsored a gala table specifically for NICU parents. This generous sponsorship allows NICU parents a ânight outâ to have fun, connect with others and celebrate Miracle Babies. Thank you, Michelle and the Mirandon Foundation for Hope for your support of Miracle Babies and your genuine connection to Miracle Babies parents!
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