*Skylar's Wish*

I know it is a little late, but we hope everyone had a merry Christmas (or happy holiday- whatever you choose to celebrate!) and wish you ALL nothing but happiness in this much, MUCH anticipated new year.

Please keep in mind, at the beginning/middle of February we will be kicking into high gear, collecting preemie and newborn size infant clothing for Skylar's Wish. We will be making another donation drop off on April 14th, which would have been our girl's 1st birthday.

We are ever so grateful for all the support you all have and continue to give us. We cannot tell you what it means to us that you all are helping keep Skylar's memory alive.

We look forward to seeing/hearing from you all in the upcoming months!

We went over to the hospital early yesterday afternoon and met with Kathy (the nurse who previously I posted an email from) to drop off our donations to the hospital. Little did we know that Kathy had arranged for Tina, who was our nurse all through Skylar's labor and delivery to be there as well. We were overjoyed that Tina was there and the emotion flowed upon seeing her. They were all surprised and so grateful at the donations we brought to them. 

We thank you all a million times over for your generosity... This project would be nowhere without the generosity of family, friends and strangers alike. 

We will continue to accept donations working toward our next drop off on April 14th, 2014.

Thank you all again.

....but I got into the habit of updating the Skylar's Wish facebook page more often than than this website. I have imported the posts from there, into the posts below this one (they all have the same date)... and this one is now the newest update... officially up-to-date.

Thank you for visiting our page!

=======================================================================================================

What's in a number?

256.

TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX.

Two hundred and fifty six outfits which we counted. NOT including booties, hats, hand-made outfits and blankets. Two hundred and fifty six outfits donated by people like YOU. Wayne and I were sitting at the table tonight, going through what still needed to be gone through, doing counts... and we were ..... blown away doesn't even BEGIN to describe how we feel. We NEVER thought we would get close to this amount. I'm having a hard time putting into words what I want to say, except to say ...

Thank you.

Thank you for keeping our daughter's memory alive. Thank you for keeping alive the memory of who would have been an amazing daughter, granddaughter, great granddaughter, niece, cousin, and more.

I've said it to a few people lately... She was THE BEST thing to have ever happened to me, and I know that, along with Dylan, she was one of the two best things to have ever happened to Wayne. Although the outcome was the absolute worst, I/we wouldn't trade our time with her for anything. She has taught us so much, and I'm sure she will continue to show herself to us, in some mysterious ways, some maybe not so mysterious.

I feel as though thank you doesn't even begin to show our appreciation, but .... from the bottom of our hearts...

Thank you <3

Did you know......

....90,000 children die annually in the United States before their first birthday.

Did you know.......

......Nearly 2,500 babies are lost every year in the United States due to S.I.D.S.

Did you know.......

........Nearly 30,000 babies a year are born stillborn.

The number of stillbirths that occur worldwide jumps to more than 4.5 million/year.

We are 1 in 4.

30,000!!!! That number blows me away. Each year 60,000 mothers and fathers, just like Wayne and I, go through what we are going through... Blows my mind that the number, in this day and age, is still so high.

October is infant and pregnancy loss awareness month. Use your voice.

Just a reminder!!! Our first donation drop-off is coming up! October 14th, Skylar would have been 6 months old... We will be taking the amazingly generous donations we have received over to Capital Health in Hopewell, NJ... If you have any last minute donations, please feel free to contact me to arrange drop off/pick up/sending.

As always, Wayne and I are so honored that so many people are helping to keep our daughter's memory alive.

We love you all!

I received the following email today and thought it was worth sharing....:

Dear Ms. Miller-

I was sorry to learn of Skylar’s death a few days ago. I wanted to share the quick story that lead me to contact you.

A woman who had a stillborn son in 1966 contacted me earlier this week to tell me about the Kate Fratti article and to ask if she could donate an outfit in memory of her son, Stephen. I received the outfit and the article today. Thank you for allowing Ms. Fratti to write about you, Wayne, and your daughter! It was a very touching article.

I, along with a Labor and Delivery staff nurse, Barb Mizenko, coordinate pregnancy loss support services at Capital Health. We are responsible to educate the all of the Capital Health nurses on perinatal (“around pregnancy”) loss and coordinate both inpatient and outpatient support services. We are so proud of our nurses and the compassion they share with grieving families. I copied the article and sent it to each of the nurses who cared for you, so they know how much you appreciate them also.

Thank you so much for collecting outfits for us! It is a wonderful tribute to Skylar. I noted on the website that October 14th is the first donation day. I would like to meet you when you come in. I am usually here from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but am more than willing to stay later if necessary. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you would let me know a few days ahead of time approximately what time you’ll be dropping by. I don’t want to miss seeing you.

Thank you for allowing Bucks County residents to share in your experience. Anyone who read the article will be a better person having read it.

Take care,

Kathy

Kathy Donaldson, WNHP-BC, APN, C, MSN, C-EFM

Advanced Practice Nurse, Maternity Services

Co-Coordinator, Perinatal Palliative Care Services

Capital Health

Just found out that pregnancy and infant loss awareness "week" is October 9th until October 15th (yes I know this is a Wednesday to a Tuesday but that's what I was told! ��)... I kind of feel like that's a sign.

Just an update! I've been ironing away all night! Over half of the clothes we have here on Pond Street now have Skylar's Wish tags on them... I will be updating the website and posting a blog at some point this week. Let me know if you have outfits that you need to send/drop off or need for Wayne or I to pick up... We are less than a month from our first drop off.. Less than a month from hopefully offering help to families who will experience the worst loss of their lives. Thank YOU for being a part of that. Thank YOU for making a difference. I was just holding Skylar's outfit-which was given to us by the hospital- the other day... Having an emotional moment, reminiscing ... Having that tangible piece of her...that bit of our daughter we can look at when we need to... Goodness, I cannot put into words what that means to us.

Thank you

Hey guys... so I just counted all the outfits that were on the table on the last picture I posted- 144. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR outfits sitting on that table. That ISN'T including the outfits which already have the tags ironed on (25), the beautiful handmade outfits, OR the hats, booties and blankets.

Wayne and I are positively SPEECHLESS... There are no words to describe.... Just....WOW.

Thank you. Thank you all for helping us to keep the memory of our beloved daughter alive. Thank you for being a part of the healing process for families which will go through this unthinkable loss in the future.

Thank you.