Medical expenses and support for Ashley & Jordan

The unexpected loss of a baby is an unimaginable loss that no one can prepare for. My sister and her husband, Ashley and Jordan, have suffered a significant loss with the recent passing of their precious baby girl, Kimber Jo Kadwell.

While we cannot take away their pain, we can help their family with the medical and financial burdens they will have to face moving forward. No one should have to worry about these expenses while grieving the loss of a baby.

Please consider donating to help Ashley and Jordan during these difficult times. Donations will be used for medical expenses and costs associated with their loss.

If there are any funds remaining, a donation will be made to Memories From Monroe, a local nonprofit that provides memory boxes to hospitals for grieving families who are suffering infant loss. They hope the comfort of their boxes will lead families through grief a little more gently. Memories From Monroe

Thank you so much for your consideration as we wrap our arms around Ashley and Jordan and love and support them through this difficult time. They are grateful to have family, friends, co-workers and people like you in their lives, and so am I.

Here is an update from Ashley and Jordan as of 11/27/22:

“This post may not be for everyone. This is our experience over the last year and a half.

Like most, I've experienced loss in life. Losing my mother at 15 was the hardest thing I have ever had to experience; until now.

Because nothing compares to the loss of a child.

Jordan and I miscarried in June of 2021 at 5 weeks. Although it was incredibly sad and disappointing, we were able to quickly accept that it just wasn't quite the right time. Afterwards, we were also able to get a handle on my Thyroid levels that we believe may have been a contributing factor.

In June of this year, we discovered that we were pregnant. I left my job at the event venue as it was heavy labor with long hard hours and found an office job that continued to allow me to plan events and provide the safety for our growing child. I took extra strides to care for myself in hopes to successfully carry a baby as we did have the fear of miscarrying again.

In August of this year, Just shy of 12 weeks, Jordan and I had a scare on our very first day in South Carolina when we drove down with family for a vacation. I started bleeding after standing up from a chair. We were fortunate at the time that it was a hemorrhage and our baby was perfectly fine. From then, we had 2 checkups a month to monitor baby as I also have 3 fibroids that could affect proper growth.

On November 15th, baby girl's heartbeat was great and she was playing with her feet during the ultrasound.

On November 22nd, Jordan's Birthday, we went in for our 26 week checkup thinking it would be a routine follow up to talk about any happenings and get to hear her heartbeat. I saw the panic on my doctor's face when she couldn't find it. I was immediately sent for an ultrasound only to be told that our baby girl was gone.

Nothing prepares you for the loss of a child.

On November 23rd, we decided to check in to the hospital to deliver her on our own terms rather than wait in limbo.

Kimber Jo Kadwell was delivered on November 24th at 4:53am 1lb 11oz and 14inches.

The delivery itself went smoothly but the contractions were fierce! I feared the whole idea of giving birth (the tearing, the pain, the epidural, etc.) and everything leading up to it and following. I never would have imagined having to go through all of it with the result we were met with at the end of it.

She was named after our mothers: Kimberly and Debra Jo. She was the most perfect and beautiful thing that we have ever seen and we felt an overwhelming amount of love. We loved her and missed her so deeply all in one moment but also felt an indescribable joy all at the same time. We created something so unbelievably precious. We spent our Thanksgiving holding her. We held her for hours even though we were able to leave the hospital, we held her until we were ready to let our nurse take her and care for her body. It was the hardest thing we had to do. We did take several photos that we have chosen to keep private and have received several keepsakes from the hospital as well as from Memories From Monroe. Of those keepsakes, we received a body cast of Kimber that we find very healing. An exact replica of what Jordan and I created. We have also chosen to take measures in discovering what may have happened to Kimber in hopes we can best act on successful future pregnancies.

In the very near future, we intend to try again but with the hope that Kimber will always be honored. Even though we never heard a cry or saw her take a breath, we saw her on the screen playing with her feet and we could hear her tiny heartbeat. We loved her every second of her brief life and now we will love her for the rest of ours. More than she could ever know.

We feel the need to keep her memory alive by talking about her and ensuring her brief existence matters. We have every intention to complete the nursery in order to process and heal. We wish to honor her on Christmas by lighting her very own candle on Christmas morning that will burn for the day as we do for my mom and grandma; By using items intended for our baby shower decor as our Christmas decoration this year; by acknowledging each other on Father's Day and Mother's day; and more. I hope to write children's books in honor of her that can be shared with the world.

We held Kimber in our arms. She will always be our daughter; She just lives in Heaven. It is in our hearts that we know that Kimber is with her Grandma Kim and her Grandma Deb. Although we wish Kimber was here, we know she is okay, safe, and loved, and that brings us peace.

Jordan and I have never been closer. He's an absolute example of what a soulmate is. We lift each other when the other is down and we understand, respect, and support one another's healing process. I could not love that man more. It is my absolute dream to see him as a dad to my child(ren).

I would also love to share that we are still over the moon for my sister and her little girl. I have all the love and joy in my heart and wish to be as much a part of her journey now as I would be if I was still expecting my own little girl. I want to see photos and hear all of her updates. I congratulate my friends on their pregnancy news and celebrate their children's growth and milestones. You don't need to shield us from your joys. We love you just as much as you love us.

My sister, Katie has been my absolute rock; my constant. She was there for me through all of this. We have shared hundreds of messages the last few days and I would not be as strong without her unfailing love and support. She has been surrounded by sadness and condolences just as much as I have and I could never express enough how much I admire her and how grateful I am to have her.

Thank you to my dad who will be my child's only grandparent. For our Thanksgiving Day Dinner Delivery to our home, meals for the week, and constant support we know we have. Like a young child, I still need my dad for everything. That promise that no matter what, that need for the feeling that everything will be okay is provided and they are always there for you in whatever you need without hesitation. Thank you for always being there, for loving me, and my husband.

Thank you Jacob and Melissa (Jordan's brother & his wife), for your constant check ins and messages, and gifts. You have helped make a very dark time a little bit brighter knowing we are so cared for and loved by you. As always, I wish Jersey was closer.

What this loss has prepared me for now is how to be an even more spectacular mother in the future. I will embrace every little thing. I feel my whole philosophy on parenting in general has changed. Knowing I will have more patience and love for a child than I ever thought I would before. Hearing of a parent's frustration with their child makes my heart ache as I would give anything to know that I get to have that in 3 months if I were still pregnant. I have so much more love to give now.

Moms and dads reading this post, I beg you to give your children some extra cuddles and love on them a little extra.

Thank you to all of my friends and family who have been supportive during this time. Katie has shared your messages with me. I have received messages directly and I ask that you be patient as we respond. We will never forget the kindness and love you have shared. We could never adequately express our gratitude. So please take our "Thank you" and know that there is so much that goes into that thank you.

Perhaps another reason I share this is that so often, you don't hear about the loss and imperfect situations on Facebook. If there is anyone on my friend's list reading this that would like to talk about their experiences, I'm open to it. Feel free to reach out.

To end this post, I would like to share this incredible poem that my sister shared with me that I find comforting.

"As I sit in Heaven and watch you every day

I try to let you know the signs I never went away.

I hear you when you're laughing and watch you as you sleep.

I even place my arms around you to calm you as you weep.

I see you wish the days away, begging to have me home.

So I try to send you signs so you know you're not alone.

Don't feel guilty that you have life, life that wasn't meant for me.

Heaven is truly beautiful, just you wait and see!

Please live your life, laugh again, enjoy yourselves, be free.

Then I'll know with every breath you take, you'll be taking one for me."

We love you, Kimber. With all of our hearts ”