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The Gift of Kindness



To be a bright light
In another's darkest days:
Unforgettable.

You can take the mama out of the NICU, but you can't take the NICU out of the mama. I have written about this before, but it bears repeating, especially since there are several readers new to my blog since I first wrote about my NICU experiences 4 years ago (but go check them out now to catch up).

Spending time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with infants undergoing critical, lifesaving treatment, all the while physically recovering from childbirth yourself is TRAUMATIC. It is especially conflicting because the moment that is sourcing your trauma is the exact moment society has consistently told you should be the most joyful moment of your life: becoming a mother.

The smiling new mommy you see in the picture above is not the same smiling mommy you see in my feed these days. This mama of 3 week old preemie twins was struggling. She was joyful every day that her babies were growing and stable, but she was sinking into the loneliness and guilt of life in the NICU and she was doing it in silence.

This day, though, in the midst of the darkness, a light shone. As I sat snuggling my two boys skin to skin, a nurse's aide rolled into the nursery with a cart full of thermal bags. I recognized them instantly as Thirty-One totes--I was a regular customer and was already using a smaller sized one to transport my pumped milk (see the plaid behind my chair?). Much to my surprise and delight, there was a thermal tote on that cart for ME. A perfect stranger had organized a gift drive to donate Thirty-One thermal totes to pumping moms in the NICU during World Breastfeeding Week. What a wonderful gift!

This incredible gesture didn't just provide me with a practical solution for the life of a pumping mom, it gave me a personal connection to the outside world. It gave me a gentle reminder that I was not alone, and that someone out there recognized the challenges I was facing. It gave me encouragement to keep going, keep pumping, keep smiling, even when I felt I couldn't any longer.

I am still so grateful for that incredible gift and all it provided me on that dim day in the hospital 5 years ago this week. I am extra grateful to have taken over that initiative and to be celebrating my 5th year coordinating this gift drive to pay forward the generosity that was bestowed upon me.

When you support this gift drive with me, you are not just giving money or donating a bag to a stranger. You are shining a light in someone's darkness, and I can assure you they will forever remember that kindness.

To support our 5th Annual World Breastfeeding Week gift drive for the moms of Winthrop's NICU on Long Island, please send your gift sponsorships via PayPal or Venmo. A full gift sponsorship is $10, but contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated and meaningful. You can also support these acts of kindness by sharing my story and mission with others. Thank you so much!

www.PayPal.Me/MerryChiu
Venmo: @Merry-Chiu

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