Help Molly raise money

My son, William, was born at 35 weeks at BIDMC after my contractions had started at 32 weeks (the day after my baby shower), which put me on “bedrest” and in and out of the hospital for the month of December, until he made his official debut a few days after Christmas. 

We rang in the New Year from the NICU, and celebrated the little victories as well as forged through the tough times and the many ups and downs in between. I won myself a few extra days in the hospital, since I was recovering from placental abruption (and subsequent emergency C-section) and postpartum eclampsia, which actually turned into a blessing, as that kept me closer to Will for longer. I would gets frequent rides to visit him on the 9th floor (in my wheelchair), until I was strong enough to push the wheelchair, and then walk myself. After I was discharged, I had to get rides into the city (since I was not yet cleared to drive), which included many snow storms and inclement weather, and therefore would sleepover anytime they could secure me a room somewhere. As you can imagine, I was very grateful and relieved when my parents booked a hotel room in the city towards the end, which helped me keep up with my lofty goal of nursing and therefore pumping and washing parts 24/7. 

Through it all, Project Sweet Peas (PSP) was there to provide endless support and resources, and the NICU became like family, a home away from home. I soon learned that PSP is a national non-profit organization that is dedicated to increasing awareness of prematurity and supporting premature and sick babies and their families. They provide care packages, clothing (and costumes during the holidays), never-ending food and snacks, books and unconditional love and comfort (to name a few) during an otherwise very difficult time. Will was battling with typical "preemie" issues including difficulty regulating his body temperature (hypothermia), blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), and was struggling to gain weight and was learning how to feed while also maintaining adequate oxygen levels (and had issues with hypoxia). Will also started coughing up blood which began his two- year battle with recurrent hematemesis and GI bleeding (but that is another story, which mostly takes place at Boston Children's Hospital). 

One month later, Will finally “graduated” on his actual due date. We will forever be so thankful for that extra support Project Sweet Peas provided to us, they certainly helped us survive during that very grueling, scary, stressful, exhausting and uncertain time. 

Will is now 6 years old, and you would never know how tenuous things started off during that first month. Since he arrived early (in 2017 instead of his due date in January 2018), I have made 2,017 my fundraising goal, in honor of Will. 

I would be more than happy to give back to Project Sweet Peas, and all that they stand for, any way that I can. Please consider donating to help PSP in their efforts, so they can continue to support the many babies and their families who are affected by what is often a traumatic but memorable and very emotional premature birth and NICU stay. Thank you again, PSP, for all that you do! 

**Just want to say, Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has donated so far for your incredible support! I am blown away by your generosity and am so grateful to be able to give back to an organization that helped us immensely and makes such a huge difference in the lives of the tiniest babies (and their families) who otherwise have to navigate this daunting new chapter on their own, and benefit so much from Project Sweet Peas’ help. I have raised my fundraising goal by $1,000 with hopes of continuing this momentum for the last two weeks before race day!! Thank you again!