Miracle Babies was founded by Dr. Sean Daneshmand in 2009 to provide financial support to families with a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He understands the struggles NICU families face because of his own experience caring for his daughter who was born prematurely at 34 weeks.
The Sundt Foundation’s $3,000 grant helps the organization’s Family Assistance Program (FAP) provide support to disadvantaged families facing a prolonged NICU stay. Many low-income families require basic transportation to visit their babies.
“Support from the Sundt Foundation has helped us fulfill our mission by providing vital financial and supportive services to families in the NICU,” said Miracle Babies Director of Operations Joelle Felton Lackey. “The majority of NICU stays are unexpected, overwhelming and often life-changing.”
The FAP seeks to improve health outcomes for NICU babies by making it possible for families to bring breast milk to their babies and provide them with “kangaroo care,” a method in which infants are held skin-to-skin with a parent, usually the mother, for as many hours as possible every day.
By offsetting the cost of transportation and other expenses that might impede parents’ ability to visit the NICU, Miracle Babies support allows parents, especially those struggling financially, to meet the most basic immediate needs of their critically ill babies in a way that no one else can: a constant, loving embrace and nutrient-rich breast milk. Frequent visitation improves the health and well-being of parents and their newborn and improves family bonding.
“Miracle Babies is a very small group that has a large impact,” said Sundt Employee-Owner Jessica Beyer, part of the Foundation committee that chooses grant recipients. “They are there to give hope when it is needed most. It is our pleasure to support them in their mission to assist families of babies who spend time in the NICU.”
Last year, Miracle Babies served more than 1,300 families through its FAP. In 2016, the organization hopes to serve at least half of the 6,000 families with newborns admitted to Level III and Level IV NICUs in San Diego County.
“Although many people in San Diego need NICU support services, local resources are few, and many families lack the resources and financial support they need to weather a prolonged NICU stay,” Joelle said. “Miracle Babies responds to the unmet need to provide financial, educational and emotional support to San Diego families caring for a baby in the NICU.”