Honoring Olive: Support for Her Memorial

Good morning/evening,

I would like to start by introducing myself, Chad Woodward, and my wife Hayley Woodward. We are the parents of a beautiful soul that left us too soon. Let's go back in time to earlier in the year, about March 14th 2024. Hayley, and I, have been together for just about 7 years - our anniversary on March 25th. We are still putting smaller details together for our upcoming wedding in August of 2024. We are planning to start our own family, but with some time having gone by, and not getting pregnant we decided to give IVF a try. That was, until little Olive came along, and gave us the biggest surprise we could ask for. Just a few weeks before our first consultation for IVF, we found out we were expecting. I can remember it like yesterday, Hayley calling me crying her eyes out with nervousness and excitement in her voice. After not one, but 4 tests, it was confirmed we were having a baby.

Fast forward about 15 weeks into the pregnancy, and we had genetic testing done at the recommendation of Hayleys OBGYN. This was a fiasco of emotions. We first received results, which we later found was inconclusive. BUT the results, while they didn't specifically apply to Hayley's bloodwork, but results from the company's study for women matching her height/weight/age groups. For two weeks we were under the impression we were high risk for Trisomy 13, 18 and Triploidy. Believing that our little girl wasn't going to make it to full term, as a result of those conditions.

We opted to go through genetic counseling where we opted for another blood test that tests differently for those similar conditions. We waited anxiously for those results, which came back normal, with no abnormalities. We were more than ecstatic to hear the news.

Fast forward to October 12th 2024; about 36 weeks pregnant at this point. Hayley started getting contractions, ahead of her scheduled C-section, on Oct 23rd. We arrived at the hospital's emergency room to be checked out. We were then hit with the most traumatic news an expecting parent could hear; our little girl doesn't have a pulse. Over the next 48 hours, Hayley was admitted, induced, and eventually birthed our little girl at 7:38pm Monday Oct 14th. 8lbs and 1 oz. We got to see her, hold her for a while, but without the sweet baby cries, it all just didn’t feel real. The hospitals have special cooling bassinets for these situations, and we were able to be with her by our side for the night. Which allowed time to dress her in our special knit sweater we had made for her, and get some professional photos taken.

She leaves behind a brother, her loving parents Hayley and I, as well as multiple grandparents and aunts and uncles. She was laid to rest October 28th. We want her memory to live on.

We are asking for donations so that we can give her a beautiful headstone, pay for her burial and the money left over to be used to start a foundation in her name to help other families, found in similar situations.

One of our blessings we have been able to pass on, is Hayley's breastmilk, which she was able to converse with a local family and donate to their little one, who can't digest formula without getting sick, and is living off of the donations of other mothers.

We want to continue to bless other families, in grieving or in need of a helping hand.

Life is so precious and miraculous, and such a gift.

Thank you,

The Woodwards.