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Opening Day




What matters the most
with one precious life to live?
We get what we give.


Do you remember growing up and asking you parents to tell you stories about when you were a baby? Did you love to hear stories about your first words, how you learned to walk, what special relatives witnessed some of your "firsts," and what adorable things you did to make your parents smile? Maybe you're even lucky enough to have seen home videos of these memories.

Well, for my 4 year old boys, their favorite stories to hear from me are from their earliest days in the NICU. Cameron will often call from the backseat: "Mommy, can you tell us the story about when we were born in the hospital?" Of course I always oblige, and by now they can tell you themselves the obstacles they overcame, who was born first, who came home first, how Cameron's heart rate dropped and he had to stay for 5 more days, and how the nurses took such special care of them when mommy and daddy weren't there.

While I spare them some of the medical details, I love telling these real-life adventures and casting them in their own tale of heroism. These real stories of their opening days of life give them pride, confidence, resilience, and real life All-Star power. I always remind them that they were destined for greatness as they were born on the day of the MLB All-Star Game. My little All-Stars they will always be.

We may still be a couple decades away from the big leagues, but that doesn't stop us from swinging for the fences where it matters most. To us, that means paying forward the generosity, kindness, and compassion we received from perfect strangers during our NICU stay, and launching our 4th Annual NICU Mother's Day Gift Drive. It's Opening Day!

What started as a 40-gift donation to the NICU where we lived for the first month of the boys' lives has grown to gift every NICU mama in 3 regional hospitals and this year we expect to grow again. Thanks to your generosity, new mamas facing the earliest days of motherhood in a foreign and frightening setting are given surprise bundles of joy in the form of NICU mom comfort kits. You can check out all the details below, and contribute to our work of heart in any amount via PayPal or VenMo. Our goal this year is 125 gifts, which will also mean $500 donated to the March of Dimes to help the fight for healthy babies. We hope you'll join us in celebrating these fierce NICU mamas and spreading joy this spring!

Full gift sponsorship: $20
Donations of any amount are appreciated!
www.PayPal.Me/MerryChiu
Venmo: @Merry-Chiu



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