January 19, 2005 - October 20, 2005
Love brings the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow. In our Ella we found both. She was our Ella Belle, our joy and our love.
Mommy, Daddy and your big sister miss you very much.
We love you, Ella!
Ella Elizabeth Tucker was born happy and healthy, just two years after older sister Riley. The Tucker family was complete with her arrival and all was well for nine months and one short day, until SIDS took Ella from her family. Obviously, their lives changed in an instant.
Since her loss, mother Tracy has become active with Baby 1st Network and is now President of the Board of Directors. Through this work, Tracy has reached out to other moms who have lost babies. She has also shared her moving story at our annual training workshops to help educate public health professionals, social workers and childcare providers about the impact a sudden infant death has on families and the importance of following infant safe sleep guidelines.
Unfortunately, there are many more stories like the Tuckers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 3,700 infants die annually in the United States as the result of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. Every week in Ohio, three babies die in unsafe sleep environments.
The numbers are staggering and heartbreaking. Thousands of families experience the absolute, utter devastation that comes with losing a precious baby to this silent killer. Even in this time of advanced medical technology, and without warning, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (particularly suffocation, accidental strangulation and SIDS) can strike seemingly healthy infants.
For nearly 40 years, Baby 1st Network has been on the forefront battling this insidious killer so that more babies can live to see their first birthday. And we need your help to get this important job done!
We provide compassionate bereavement support services free of charge. But our mission is more than helping families try to heal – we want to prevent these tragedies from ever happening! Our goal is to reach communities across Ohio with a message of infant safe sleep and to make people aware that there’s a problem.
This past year our Infant Safe Sleep Mini-Grant program funded 23 state projects, including community baby showers/health fairs, faith-based and fatherhood workshops, childcare provider trainings and interactive display boards educating more than 1,200 parents-to-be, babysitters and grandparents on SIDS risk reduction and the vital ABC’s of safe sleep (Alone, on baby’s Back, in a Crib). We also provided 16,000 pieces of educational materials and nearly 6,300 onesie baby shirts bearing the ABC safe sleep reminder to many Ohio hospitals and clinics serving at risk families.
We desperately need your help! Please consider the gift of a first birthday celebration by donating to Baby 1st Network. Your contribution will help us continue educating the community on the lifesaving practice of Alone, on baby’s Back, in a Crib and how to reduce the risk of SIDS.
All too many parents know the pain of losing their sweet baby suddenly and unexpectedly. We need your help now more than ever. Thank you!