It seemed fitting that the phrase “Give. Lead. Make a difference.” was written on the wall behind Joseph and Amelia Kowalisyn as they spoke about Emma’s Footprints, a nonprofit organization they created in honor of their daughter Emma.
Emma Rose Kowalisyn was born October 13th, 2014 along with her twin brother Alex. Emma passed away a few weeks after birth due to a severe stroke in utero. After experiencing the unimaginable, the Kowalisyn’s realized the need for a support system for families going through bereavement. Emma’s Footprints was formed to provide care packages for NICU parents, help families with funeral costs, and to bring awareness to premature birth and infant loss. Perhaps the most impactful contribution Emma’s Footprints has made is the introduction of CuddleCots.
“Having lost my daughter and being part of the bereavement community, I had heard of other families and charities that had donated CuddleCots,” said Amelia.
CuddleCot systems cool the baby, allowing the family time to bathe, touch, photograph, and most importantly spend time with their child.
“I thought it was something really necessary,” Kowalisyn said. “We were blessed to have 23 days with our daughter, but that is not what every family gets. It is just so important that they have time to be with their child without being rushed.”
Of course with every innovation comes a price and the Kowalisyn’s knew that they would not be able to accomplish their goals all on their own. Legacy Foundation of Lake County, a philanthropic partner of non-profit organizations in the area, recently granted Emma’s Footprints roughly $23,000. With this grant, Emma’s Footprints was able to purchase CuddleCots and warranties for six hospitals.
“We just one day decided that we were going to get one in every hospital in Northwest Indiana and we did it,” said Kowalisyn. “We expected it to take 3 years, but it ended up taking only 5 months.”
Legacy Foundation President Carolyn Saxton said, “Particularly for the CuddleCots, what we really found interesting is that it is something that is not being provided by anyone else. When they applied for the grant, our committee felt that it was so unique and interesting and something that we really wanted to see for Lake County.”
St. Mary’s Medical Center, St. Anthony’s Medical Center, Methodist Northlake and Southlake, St. Catherine’s Hospital, and Community Hospital all received their CuddleCots on Monday.
“[Emma’s Footprints] will help us improve our support for mothers,” said Alicia Hart, Nurse Manager of the Birthing Unit at St. Mary’s. “We thought that we did a good job, but we looked at some of our practices and redid them. We met and talked about what we needed to do. This gives us the parent’s perspective and offers us many resources.”
Emma’s Footprints’ impact has also inspired others to get involved with the bereavement process. Michelle Michniewicz lost her daughter on September 15th of 2015.
“I didn’t have the best experience that I thought I could have had at the hospital,” said Michniewicz. “It is kind of a like a whirlwind and you don’t know what to do. You are just told that you need to have the baby now and then you are told you need to have funeral. I just wanted to make sure that someone else didn’t experience what I did.”
Through a mutual friend, Michniewicz heard about Kowalisyn and what she was doing for families. She was able to talk with Kowalisyn the night of her daughter’s funeral. Michniewicz went on to get her douala certification, specializing in stillbirths and bereavement.
“The birthing process is a joyous time, no matter if you are having a live baby or not,” said Michniewicz. “One mother that I’ve talked to said that she just wanted someone to tell her that her baby was beautiful. I want to be that person for another family.”
Michniewicz is the only douala in Northwest Indiana to specialize in bereavement.
