Kindness Project - In Honor or Memory of CDH Children

Recently, the CDH Community as a whole has been rocked by the untimely deaths of children who were older than infants who had fought the good fight and been discharged from the NICU.  Unfortunately, RSV and other issues associated with hospital stays contributed to these children's deaths and we all step back and realize how far reaching congenital diaphragmatic hernia actual is to those who continue to fight it.

The world also has been racked with so much tragedy, too much meanness and too much that we wonder about humanity.  We are devastated to hear of other terror attacks of nations divided on issues that truly we need to ban together if we want solutions.  Pointing fingers does no one any good and only through dialog and being kind and compassionate can we make a difference in this world.

So we thought of an idea, we shared it with other CDH groups and we thought it would give our community members something to actually do that would help spread kindness and also a bit of CDH Awareness in the process too! 

Here is the basic outline of the project and you all can do it as simply or as elaborately as you wish!  You can do it as an individual or get others in your community or schools to help if you wish.  Do a random act of kindness and pass out a card to that person you do it for.  You can do it anonymously if you wish!  Then tell us about it.  As much as you wish or that a random act was done today in Anytown, USA :)  We would love to be overwhelmed with emails or posts to our Facebook Page or messages about your random acts.  You can do this in honor or memory of a child you know and at anytime you wish:  for Awareness Day, for your child's Birthday, for a date or period of time you wish.  It is in your hands to be as organized or as disorganized about it as you wish.  Kindness doesn't have to be organized! 

We provide you materials here that you can use and the Word Documents can be modified and updated to personalize.  The Business Cards we used are from Staples located here but we are positive you can find these at any other office supply store.  If for some reason, you have trouble, need another template or need help with this, please feel free to contact elizabeth@breathofhopeinc.com - we will be happy to help! 

We Need More CDH Organizations

Did you know that according to Guidestar there are only three nonprofit organizations for congenital diaphragmatic hernia?  Guidestar may not have new charitable organizations listed or those who have not submitted their information.  How many organizations are there for spina bifida?  One hundred and fifty-four listed in Guidestar and two hundred and ten for cystic fibrosis.  Ask yourself this question, why are more in your communities not aware of CDH? 

What truly is the problem?  

We need more community organizations who work within their areas and with their hospitals to help families and further research from all over.  Local organizations can give back within their own communities and are more aware of what families will need when faced having a CDH baby.  They can outreach to other community organizations for help and resources and work with the hospitals and physicians in their areas.  

Breath of Hope will continue to provide the services we do and the programs we have but we will also be working to help others start up their organizations if they have the desire, enthusiasm and commitment to do so.  Please feel free to contact us at Elizabeth@breathofhopeinc.com and we will be happy to help you!  

Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are often contacted when a family just learns their unborn or new born baby has been diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.  We offer to send them a package with information we compiled from our families, painstakingly edited it and had medical advisers review and edit the information also.  In January, we also had a copy righter review them so they were easier to read.  We also provide infant blankets, hand print kits, Socks for Surgery socks, Guava Infant Mittens and a variety of other things donated by families we have on hand at that time.  We then hope and pray their baby will be of the 60% who will survive.  In some hospitals, it is up to 75% or higher.

Very often parents contact us after their child goes home or becomes an angel and they tell us how much they are amazed with the CDH Community, those that have reached out and encouraged them when they felt helpless or at their lowest.  How they found comfort in the words we wrote them, the items we gave them or the kindness of complete strangers who have this CDH Connection gave them.  How can they ever repay it?  They do, in turn they pay it forward by reaching out, being kind and keeping other babies and families in their hearts.  So much sometimes they must take a break, but they come back.

This blog post is about thanking all of you for reaching out, stepping forward, sharing your wisdom and children with those who just begin this journey forward.  We know not what will happen but we have hope that their child will be one that does pull it out and Kick CDH Booty.  Even the angels do some butt kicking of CDH and are miracles too.

Just remember to take care of you through this all too!  Thank you!