ALLENTOWN, PA - Bringing baby home is a beautiful experience. But when a child arrives early, parents are faced with the unique challenges of caring for a premature baby.
“We were brand new parents and didn’t really know what to do anyway right,” says Jennifer Driscoll, founder of Lily’s Hope Foundation. “So we were completely unprepared and then add in this hurdle of having a baby that was so small that one nurse said to me, do you want to change her diaper? And I said, can I watch you first because I didn't even know...”
That’s when The Lily’s Hope Foundation steps in; supporting babies and their families with the unexpected and urgent needs that follow premature birth. Founders Jen and Justin Driscoll know this too well. Their daughter Lilian Hope was born two months early, spent a month in the NICU and came home 3 pounds, 11 ounces.
Justin Driscoll, Jennifer’s husband and Lily’s Hope Co-Founder says, it was “an emotional time, a chaotic time, a hectic time. You really a lot on friends, you rely a lot on family, to help you through getting ready at home since we were unprepared when lily was born, but also to assist you in being able to go back and forth to the hospital for as long as your baby is in the NICU. It’s a lot of comforting each other because you’re coming home without your baby which is unlike any emotion you can ever describe to somebody unless you go through it.
Jen and her husband Justin tended and nurtured their tiny child who eventually became a big sister. But her brother’s journey was one similar to hers.
11 year old Lillian Hope says, “When I first saw him, I was very nervous to hold him because he was so tiny, I was so scared that I was going to drop him. But when I first held him, he kind of smirked at me, kind of like he knew I was his sister.”
Aidan Patrick was born a preemie too. By the second time around, the Driscolls were more prepared to deal with the unique challenges of welcoming a premature infant into their family, but that’s when they started wondering, “these things that we experienced, are what made us think wow, we want to be able to give back.”
The idea to help other parents bringing home premature babies was born. The Driscolls began stuffing bundles with preemie clothing and diapers, car seats, bassinets and more; all items new parents need. But for parents of preemies, can be hard to find and come with high price tags.
They began calling these kits “packages of hope,” and haven’t stopped packing them since. Eleven years later Lily’s Hope Foundation has helped over 15 hundred families.
Jennifer says, “that first year we helped 44 families so we’re only going back five years, right? 44 families, then 145, 254, 478, and 575 last year. So we are over already this year, our total for the entire time that we’ve been supporting families is 1650 families and that number is continuing to increase all the time.”
Now, the team at Lily’s Hope Foundation is in the midst of getting ready for its annual Tournament of Hope; one of three major special event fundraisers the organization holds throughout the year.
Jennifer explains, “our tournament of hope is Friday, April 26th in Coopersburg and we have over a hundred golfers this year. It’s our biggest event so far and it is an event that is five years old. It is our fifth time doing it and we really depend on members of the community to support our families because they are at the bedside with their baby, right? So we want to make sure that the family, the community can get involved so that we can provide that support. We’re an all volunteer non-profit so I’m working full-time, my husband is working full-time, so we are super dependent on the community for everything that we’re doing.”
For now 11 year old Lilian Hope, hope means wishing for good things to happen and hope has followed her since the day she was born. And today, Lily’s Hope has become more than her middle name; it’s a prayer, a purpose and now two publications; Preemie Parents’ Tips to get You Thru the NICU and of course, Lily’s Hope: A Preemie’s Journey of Hope.
Jennifer Reich of Momosa Publishing says, “Jen is just the absolute best expert to have brought these books to life because she is a mom of two children who were born prematurely. She has that personal experience. Also, she’s an expert by virtue of the fact that she’s the founder of Lily’s Hope Foundation and so she really has incredibly depth of knowledge about premature babies and parents and what they need to thrive.”
All proceeds from both books are donated back into Lily’s Hope Foundation; helping spread that hope past the pages and into packages for new families of preemies.
Lily's Hope Foundation
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Lily's Hope Foundation provides aid for parents of preemies.
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