The Penny Mae Project

On May 22, 2019, our baby (Penelope Mae) was born after she had died in utero at full term one day earlier.  

In most cases, this is the end of the story between parent and stillborn child. In our case, we were given the incredible gift of time.

We were lucky enough to make use of a device called a CuddleCot, a cooling blanket device that allowed our family to keep our stillborn daughter with us in our hospital room for the next 48 hours.

While this may initially seem a bit morbid, it was a life-changing and surprisingly "normal" experience. 

With the CuddleCot , we were able to spend the majority of our two days in the hospital holding our daughter, kissing her, telling her that we love her, and sharing her with family and friends. We had the opportunity to introduce her to her two big brothers, and to give them the time they needed to process her death.

Having this device available:

- allowed our family to spend important time with our daughter that otherwise would not have been possible

- allowed time for family and friends to come and meet our daughter

- allowed time for a photographer to arrive and document our time with our daughter

- begin to sort through the emotions that come with a still birth

Having the CuddleCot was so life-changing that we want to ensure that all parents of stillborn children are afforded this life-changing experience. (side note: The CuddleCot we used was not purchased by the hospital but rather was donated by a previous parent of a stillborn child!)

Our mission is to raise funding that will be used to purchase and place CuddleCots in as many hospitals as possible. At a cost of around $3,000 for each CuddleCot, we have set our initial goal at $15,000 to supply five CuddleCots to local hospitals.

Update 6/1/19: We have met our initial goal! The goal has been raised to continue the drive. Every $3000 means another hospital gets a CuddleCot. Let's see how big of an impact we can make!

Media:

 Learn more about the CuddleCot at the CuddleCot Website.

 See our feature on News4SanAntonio .

 Watch this video from Sisters of Charity Hospital describing the CuddleCot.

 See one couple's experience with the CuddleCot: The Kiers Family - CTV Broadcast.

List of Hospitals that have received CuddleCots from the PennyMae Project:

- Metropolitan Methodist Hospital Women’s Pavilion (San Antonio, TX – 9/24/19)

- Children’s Hospital of San Antonio (San Antonio, TX - 11/21/19)

- Baptist Children’s Hospital at North Central (San Antonio, TX – 11/22/19)

- Methodist Children’s Hospital (San Antonio, TX – 11/25/19)

- St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital (San Antonio, TX – 11/25/19)

- Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (Seguin, TX - 1/14/20)

- Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (Killeen, TX – 04/2020)

- Methodist Stone Oak Hospital (San Antonio, TX – 07/22/2020)

- University of Cincinnati Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH - 10/13/2020)

- Cincinnati Children's Hospital (Cincinnati, OH - 4/21/2021)

- CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills (San Antonio, TX - 06/30/2022)

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Special Thanks to:

Matt Sawmiller

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

DeeDee Tse Silver

About the Campaigners:

Willis and Kristen Kann are both Emergency Physicians in the San Antonio, Texas area. Willis is a US Army veteran and Kristen is a US Air Force veteran. They have three young children, two boys and one girl, that serve as the true center of their lives.