When my best friend Amber and her husband Brian were pregnant with her rainbow baby after a sad and complicated loss, I cried tears of joy when they told us. We were so thrilled they were pregnant again. I'm not someone who prays, but I may have broken my own rule a couple times wishing for this. I wanted a baby for my best friend so badly. Everytime we spent time together, I couldn't keep my hands off her growing belly. We immediately started loving on this little boy. He was already part of our crew and they were already his perfect parents.
On April 2, 2019, 3 weeks before Cam's due date his heart unexpectedly stopped. The news was uncomprehensible. For the three days that followed Cam's mom fearless labored to bring him earthside. Getting to meet him, hold him and tell him how much we loved him was the greatest gift an auntie could ever have. After months of waiting for answers, we learned that Cam died from Group B Strep (GBS). While GBS is a common bacteria in pregnancy, its incredibly rare for it to pass through to the baby. There is very little research on GBS and stillbirth, leaving parents like Brian and Amber with little guidance on how to move forward building their family. That is why my family and I are walking for Camden James.
HELP US DONATE A CUDDLE COT to UCLA SANTA MONICA in honor of Cam. For every dollar that is donated to this walk, my husband Alex and I are going to match each dollar which will go toward the purchase of a CUDDLE COT to be donated in Camden's name to UCLA Santa Monica, where he was born. A Cuddle Cot is a bassinet that contains a cooling system that allows bereaved parents to stay with their baby longer, helping their family bond. Some families have only hours with their child. This cooling device can turn hours into days and is used in hospitals all over the world. UCLA Santa Monica does not have a Cuddle Cot. 24,000 (1%) pregnancies end in stillbirth per year in the US (10 times more then SIDS). We can’t prevent this from happening to other families, but we can help give the gift of more time with their baby.