Luca’s Light 2023
Donation protected
For all of you who are new here, we figured we’d share a little bit about Luca’s Light.
My husband Nick, and I, decided to create Luca’s Light, in November of 2022, in honor of our son, Luca Richard Umstetter. My husband and I got pregnant shortly after our wedding, and were beyond excited to make room for our new little blessing. We found out at 12 weeks, that our baby had Down Syndrome. Upon learning this, we were told that most babies with Trisomy 21, also have early heart defects, most of which, are curable with birth. It was recommended that we have further tests, to ensure his heart was in good condition. We decided this wasn’t the route we wanted to take, as learning of our son’s Down Syndrome, never changed how we felt, and we didn’t want to explore further testing. We believed we would face whatever could possibly come our way, head on, when and if we needed.
On March 11th, we had our 20 week anatomy scan, where we quickly learned that our son had two cardiac defects, along with hydrops fetalis. The extent of his condition, was very unknown. We were immediately referred to a high risk doctor. After further ultrasounds and in depth scans of our son’s heart, it was clear that his diagnosis was lethal, and it was only a matter of time before we would lose him. We were continuously told by multiple doctors, that it was advised to terminate our pregnancy, as there was no positive outcome. They basically looked at us and told us to give up hope. With our hearts broken, and shattered into a million pieces, we did the only thing we could. The only thing we knew to do - we hoped. Despite what they said. My husband and I started a prayer group, and every morning, we woke up at 7:27 am (what would have been his due date), and prayed for our little boy. Our family and friends rallied together to show their support. We shared our story on social media, and had people reaching out from all over, letting us know they were praying for our son and standing with us in his fight.
Before we learned of any diagnosis, we decided to name our son, Luca, which means “bringer of light.” And as we carried on in our pregnancy, our little Luca continued to bring all of us, so much light. On April 20th, we said goodbye to our little Luca. On April 22nd, at 3:35am, we delivered our perfect baby. We will never forget how it felt, walking out of the hospital, without our son. It felt like our entire world had flipped upside down. Our hearts were beyond broken, but our faith, and our love, remained strong.
After Luca died, we kept talking about how we wanted to do something in his honor. We had been planning a teddy bear themed baby shower and that sparked our idea, to donate bears, to parents who have been in similar situations as ours. We created “Luca’s Light,” as a way to keep Luca’s light shining. With a $10 donation, we could buy one teddy bear. The teddy bears are then distributed to the local hospitals, and given out to families who have experienced child loss, and who have left the hospital, without their babies. Along with this, during the holiday, we’ve brought the bears to the children’s ward in the hospitals, so those who are spending holidays there, can feel Luca’s light, too.
Last year, we raised over $4000, and were able to deliver over 400 bears. We are so appreciative of the support we’ve received, and the impact these bears have made, in one year. The strength in the parents who have reached out to us, after receiving a bear, is so powerful, and a true testimony of how much light these bears have brought.
Thank you to every person who’s shared, donated, and helped in any way. We are so blessed for your continued support.
My husband Nick, and I, decided to create Luca’s Light, in November of 2022, in honor of our son, Luca Richard Umstetter. My husband and I got pregnant shortly after our wedding, and were beyond excited to make room for our new little blessing. We found out at 12 weeks, that our baby had Down Syndrome. Upon learning this, we were told that most babies with Trisomy 21, also have early heart defects, most of which, are curable with birth. It was recommended that we have further tests, to ensure his heart was in good condition. We decided this wasn’t the route we wanted to take, as learning of our son’s Down Syndrome, never changed how we felt, and we didn’t want to explore further testing. We believed we would face whatever could possibly come our way, head on, when and if we needed.
On March 11th, we had our 20 week anatomy scan, where we quickly learned that our son had two cardiac defects, along with hydrops fetalis. The extent of his condition, was very unknown. We were immediately referred to a high risk doctor. After further ultrasounds and in depth scans of our son’s heart, it was clear that his diagnosis was lethal, and it was only a matter of time before we would lose him. We were continuously told by multiple doctors, that it was advised to terminate our pregnancy, as there was no positive outcome. They basically looked at us and told us to give up hope. With our hearts broken, and shattered into a million pieces, we did the only thing we could. The only thing we knew to do - we hoped. Despite what they said. My husband and I started a prayer group, and every morning, we woke up at 7:27 am (what would have been his due date), and prayed for our little boy. Our family and friends rallied together to show their support. We shared our story on social media, and had people reaching out from all over, letting us know they were praying for our son and standing with us in his fight.
Before we learned of any diagnosis, we decided to name our son, Luca, which means “bringer of light.” And as we carried on in our pregnancy, our little Luca continued to bring all of us, so much light. On April 20th, we said goodbye to our little Luca. On April 22nd, at 3:35am, we delivered our perfect baby. We will never forget how it felt, walking out of the hospital, without our son. It felt like our entire world had flipped upside down. Our hearts were beyond broken, but our faith, and our love, remained strong.
After Luca died, we kept talking about how we wanted to do something in his honor. We had been planning a teddy bear themed baby shower and that sparked our idea, to donate bears, to parents who have been in similar situations as ours. We created “Luca’s Light,” as a way to keep Luca’s light shining. With a $10 donation, we could buy one teddy bear. The teddy bears are then distributed to the local hospitals, and given out to families who have experienced child loss, and who have left the hospital, without their babies. Along with this, during the holiday, we’ve brought the bears to the children’s ward in the hospitals, so those who are spending holidays there, can feel Luca’s light, too.
Last year, we raised over $4000, and were able to deliver over 400 bears. We are so appreciative of the support we’ve received, and the impact these bears have made, in one year. The strength in the parents who have reached out to us, after receiving a bear, is so powerful, and a true testimony of how much light these bears have brought.
Thank you to every person who’s shared, donated, and helped in any way. We are so blessed for your continued support.
Co-organizers (2)
Nicole Umstetter
Organizer
Hilton, NY
Nicholas Umstetter
Co-organizer