The Impact of Kyleigh’s Gift
Meet the Meyer Family
“When my husband, Dan, and I found out we were having twins, we were nothing short of ecstatic. Sharing the news with our family and planning for our role as parents began immediately.
We were accompanied with multiple doctors and high-risk appointments the next seven months. The excitement continued but the realization and fear of complications during birth and a premature delivery were always in the back of our minds. Our fear turned into reality when I went into labor at 34 weeks. Grayson and Nolan were born weighing a little over four pounds each. They were taken to the NICU at the Liberty Hospital Birthing Center where they were hooked up to CPAP machines, given feeding tubes, and placed in isolettes.
Our boys spent the next eight days in the NICU with the best doctors and nurses who cared deeply for them. Even though we knew Grayson and Nolan were receiving great care and
our NICU stay was relatively short, those eight days were some of the longest and most stressful we had ever experienced. We kept praying and hoping for great progress and reports on our boys. We desperately wanted them home.
I was discharged two days after delivering the boys. Before being discharged, we were made aware of the boarding program. We were able to move rooms on the labor and delivery floor but stay close to our babies. We were informed of Kyleigh’s Gift and the meal vouchers at this time. Dan and I were relieved to learn about this service and began telling all of our family members and visitors about it. I distinctly remember us showing the slips of paper (vouchers) off to our parents like they were hundred dollar bills. It meant that much to us! We didn’t have to leave the hospital, spend extra money on food, and were able to focus on our newborns. It was convenient to go to the food court in between nursing/pumping sessions. Something that could’ve been a burden was made easier through Kyleigh’s Gift.
Our boys sported their sleep sacks from Kyleigh’s Gift throughout their stay in the NICU and well through their first few months at home. It put our minds at ease knowing we could use those to reduce the possibility of SIDS while practicing safe sleep standards.
Grayson and Nolan are now happy, healthy, thriving one-year-olds. They are each developing their own personalities and fill our days with more joy and more love than we could have imagined. Their first big outing last fall was to Kyleigh’s Walk. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a small part of something so amazing.
Kyleigh’s Gift: Thank You. Thank you for caring. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for loving. Your work is “work of the heart” and doesn’t go unnoticed by those you have helped.”
-Dan, Sydney, Grayson, and Nolan Meyer
Additional Resources
If you or anyone you know is in need of support or resources during a time of financial need, loss, is in a NICU journey, or additional emotional support, please see our resource guide attached here, or reach out to the Liberty Hospital Foundation at foundation@libertyhospital.org.