2023 Walk For Babies

Aria's Army

On September 19th 2022, I was at work as a nurse at Akron Children’s hospital when my placenta abrupted at only 27 weeks. Thanks to the care of my coworkers, I was safely transported to Summa Hospital where I underwent an emergency C-Section, unsure of what the outcome would be for my daughters life or my own. Aria was immediately transported back to Akron Children’s Hospital where she spent the next 104 days fighting for her life.

The NICU is a place that no parent ever dreams they will find themselves. Though there were many scary moments and hard days, there were also a million little miracles and first moments that Xavier and I will never forget, and much of that credit is due to the NICU staff.

From placing Aria on my chest for the first time, putting her in cute outfits for me to see when I got off of work, helping us celebrate the holidays we spent in the hospital and teaching Xavier to care for her feeding tube, the NICU staff truly became part of our family and helped the hospital to feel like our home away from home.

As a former ACH NICU nurse, I could not be more grateful to have had my friends and former coworkers care for my daughter and will be eternally grateful to God and to them for saving her life.

Walk for Babies is an amazing organization that raises money to support the Akron Children’s Hospital NICU. Through gifts like yours, the hospital will be able to purchase vital medical equipment, offer programs to support families during this difficult time, and fund research to help identify new ways to better care for their patients. We could not think of a better way to celebrate Aria’s first birthday than by creating a team and giving back to the very place and people that saved our girl! Thank you for supporting us and joining our team, we look forward to celebrating with you and having you join us at the Akron Zoo on September 17th, 2023.