Desmond's Friends
Donation protected
Desmond Vandyke was born on August 28, 2018 at 5:00pm. He was 14 inches long, 3 lbs 10 oz. He gifted us 2 hours and 1 minute of his life before he took his last breath.
As hard as the following minutes, hours, and days were on me and my husband, Michael, we were so thankful for a special device called a Cuddle Cot.
A Cuddle Cot is a cooling system that has been designed to fit within a small cot. This effective system allows for babies who have passed away to remain with their families so that they don't have to be immediately taken to a mortuary. Cuddle Cots also enable family members to travel to visit and meet the baby and siblings to meet one another.
It’s about giving parents choices and reassuring them that they can spend time with their baby. In the US, there are more than 23,000 infant deaths a year—about 6 out of every 1,000 live births, which does not even account for stillbirths.
Desmond was able to stay with me and husband for the 3 days I was in the hospital, and we are so grateful for it.
A few months after Desmond’s passing, I wanted to do something for other families in his memory. We decided to raise money to donate a Cuddle Cot to our local hospital in Murfreesboro Tennessee.
A Cuddle Cot with the replacement kit costs around $4,000, and we hope to raise that money by Desmond’s 1st birthday, August 28, 2019.
Any funds that we raise over the $4,000 will be put into a new account that will go towards the future nonprofit we are creating to help fellow loss parents.
We hope you consider contributing to this cause and helping future families going through one of the biggest heartbreaks they will ever experience. We hope you become one of Desmond’s Friends. ❤️
As hard as the following minutes, hours, and days were on me and my husband, Michael, we were so thankful for a special device called a Cuddle Cot.
A Cuddle Cot is a cooling system that has been designed to fit within a small cot. This effective system allows for babies who have passed away to remain with their families so that they don't have to be immediately taken to a mortuary. Cuddle Cots also enable family members to travel to visit and meet the baby and siblings to meet one another.
It’s about giving parents choices and reassuring them that they can spend time with their baby. In the US, there are more than 23,000 infant deaths a year—about 6 out of every 1,000 live births, which does not even account for stillbirths.
Desmond was able to stay with me and husband for the 3 days I was in the hospital, and we are so grateful for it.
A few months after Desmond’s passing, I wanted to do something for other families in his memory. We decided to raise money to donate a Cuddle Cot to our local hospital in Murfreesboro Tennessee.
A Cuddle Cot with the replacement kit costs around $4,000, and we hope to raise that money by Desmond’s 1st birthday, August 28, 2019.
Any funds that we raise over the $4,000 will be put into a new account that will go towards the future nonprofit we are creating to help fellow loss parents.
We hope you consider contributing to this cause and helping future families going through one of the biggest heartbreaks they will ever experience. We hope you become one of Desmond’s Friends. ❤️
Organizer
Megan Vandyke
Organizer
Murfreesboro, TN
