08/24/2019
Where to begin?? About a month ago I realized Alyson’s Angels has been around for TEN YEARS. On some random day I was thinking about our story and how we started this when I was 14, and then I realized that I’m now 24. TEN WHOLE YEARS. What really blew my mind was realizing that this has existed for almost half of my life. I’ve honestly been thinking about this since I realized it back in July and I thought the shock wore off, but as I’m typing this, it hasn’t. So, I thought I’d make this post to share what an incredible journey this experience has been for all of us.
Alyson’s Angel’s started TEN YEARS AGO (I internally scream every time I think this) when I graduated the 8th grade. I remember very few specific details. What I do remember are the special moments. I won the Spirit of Saint Joseph Award for community service, which came with a $50 prize. Honestly, I didn’t know why I won because I didn’t think I ever did anything extremely special. I still don’t think I did to be honest. I volunteered at the zoo because I loved animals, and I did every youth group service project because my mom was in charge of it. But I’m a firm believer in God’s plan, and looking back now, I can clearly see why I won that award.
At the time, I thought it was outrageous that anyone would give someone money for doing community service. I still remember being so confused about what to do with the award money and couldn’t imagine spending it on myself. It was already too much to be recognized for doing the things I was raised to do, let alone receive prize money for it. Somehow, through expressing my discomfort of all of this to my mom, we thought it would be appropriate to do something for the very hospital that saved my life. All I remember is my family and I in my mom’s kitchen, talking about the NICU, and trying to decide how we could help. Somehow, Alyson’s Angels came out of that.
From what I remember, we knew there were organizations that existed to help comfort the babies in whatever ways they could. Also, the stories I grew up with were told from my parents’ perspective. I grew up seeing the heartbreak on their faces every time they told it, and the pride they had now that I’m a healthy and successful person. Even at a young age, I knew it had to have been hard to get to Morgantown (a little over an hour away) to see me. My mom couldn’t even leave the hospital where I was born for three days because of birth complications.
The scene I’ve always imagined in my head of that day at the hospital is complete chaos. A baby being born with no crying sound because it was taking in absolutely no oxygen to make a noise, a stunned delivery staff convinced I wasn’t going to make it (probably just me adding dramatic effect honestly), my pediatrician rushing in to insert breathing tubes. At some point I was baptized in the hospital, but I never really asked many questions about that. I just accepted it and thought it was cool that I was baptized as an emergency and then again at the official ceremony. But anyway, through this whole imagination, I knew it was hell for my parents. Not only did they have this terrible birth to recover from, but they had a baby fighting for her life in another city and a 4-year-old at home.
This story has also always been in my memories. I honestly don’t remember hearing the story for the first time. It just was always a part of who I was. I was the almost 9-pound baby in the NICU that didn’t know how to breathe. My dad called me a moose because I almost didn’t fit in the incubator (premonition to me living in Vermont??). I looked healthy compared to all the premature babies there. So, I always knew my parents struggled with my stay in the NICU.
Ultimately, we realized we needed to do something for the parents and guardians of NICU babies. We thought of the things families needed while they were with their children. First and foremost, they needed a way to get to them. West Virginia is a poor state, and not everyone can afford the gas to get to Morgantown. Gas cards were a priority. Eating also is the last thing on a parent’s mind. We knew we had to give them snacks that would be comforting, yet filling. We started off including toiletries, like shampoo and conditioner, but we also know those things are not as necessary. We do include toothbrushes and toothpaste, because that is often something overlooked when quickly packing. We wanted to make sure that parents had what they needed to feel comforted and comfortable, without worrying about the everyday things like food and hygiene. We wanted them to be able to completely focus on their babies, because we knew that’s all they wanted to focus on.
It’s crazy to think that this kitchen conversation, combined with a $50 check a dorky 14-year-old had no idea what to do with, would start a DECADE LONG operation. We have done so many different fundraisers. Everything from a chicken dinner, a charity bow shoot, steak fry’s, and a Cajun barbecue. We’ve delivered over 4,000 care packages over the last TEN YEARS. West Liberty’s baseball team has fundraised for us. The Ohio Valley’s Jaycee’s has helped us. MY BROTHER COOKED AN ALLIGATOR FOR US. It has been a crazy journey. There was one fundraiser I came to late because I was at a debate tournament. One where my mom yelled at me for reading in the kitchen (wow I was a nerd). One where my older brother told his best friend about his plans to PROPOSE to my now sister-in-law. One where my then best friend’s little brother (less than 13 at the time) wore a cummerbund to help serve food. My cousin designed our logo. A local college student designed our website http://alysonsangels.org/. I was awarded a NATIONAL award alongside the most amazing people I have ever met, and ever hope to meet, in my life. The support from our community and our family has been more than we ever could have imagined.
Writing this last paragraph, I’m in tears. There have been many times where the thought of what we do has made me emotional, but I honestly don’t deal with emotions very well. But thinking of the support this community and our family has given us is too much to bear. I cannot express how thankful I am for this entire journey. It is because of this tremendous support that one small little innocent 14-year-old was able to touch the lives of over 4,000 families. I don’t think anyone realized how great of a place this would take in our lives, or how essential to our identities it would become. I know that by now, neither my mom nor I could imagine our lives without this organization. It has survived through my move to Shepherdstown for college, Vermont for law school, and our most recent event was created from Texas during my internship.
So you may be asking, what’s next? We’ve been around for TEN YEARS, have been recognized in the state of West Virginia and nationally, but we are far from achieving our goals. When we started this, we knew our ultimate goal would be to provide every single family in Ruby Memorial’s NICU with a care package. We have not yet met that goal. After we met that, we thought it would be great to expand to Pittsburgh. I was almost sent to Pittsburgh but my pediatrician was more familiar with the staff at WVU. One day it would be amazing to expand to the NICU that also saves a lot of local babies. But that is a goal for the far future. Fortunately, WVU Ruby Memorial’s NICU recently expanded. There are more beds for babies than when we first started. We had the great opportunity to tour the new NICU last year, and the services and staff are beyond phenomenal. We know what we do is small in comparison to what these medical professionals do on a daily basis, but any hope we can give parents is us giving back. It’s us giving back in our small way to the hospital that saved my life. The hospital that gave my parents comfort during their darkest days. And most importantly, it lets the parents know they are not alone. They have someone who understands. Strangers who care. Strangers that are praying for their babies. Strangers that understand what they’re going through. Alyson’s Angels gives them hope. And sometimes, hope is all we need to make a difference.
