Hand to Hold is created by parents and for parents. Every one of our staff and board members has had their lives touched by either prematurity or a NICU stay – or both. So when we started Hand to Hold we didn’t just want to build a non-profit – we wanted to build a community.

Not every one will need every service we offer. But we want you to know that these resources are here for you if you do. Mostly we want you to know that you are not alone.

In this Helping Hand Highlight, Mom Maribel Farish shares the programs that have worked for her and the many ways Hand to Hold has touched her and her family’s lives.

How did you hear about Hand to Hold? What were you looking for? What did you hope to find?

My son Daniel was born on March 2, 2010, at 31-½ weeks in Brownsville, Texas. Within a week of his birth, he was life-flighted to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) where he spent three months in the NICU III. During this time, my husband, George, commuted regularly between Brownsville, Houston, and Austin. In August of that year, George started in the full-time MBA program at UT Austin while I stayed in Houston to look after Daniel and continue with follow up visits to TCH. Daniel and I finally joined George in September.

After a month of living in Austin and feeling extremely overwhelmed with Daniel’s medical needs, I reached out to a friend of my mother-in-law who told me about Hand to Hold. I immediately looked up Hand to Hold’s website and dialed Kelli’s number.

When I contacted Kelli, I did not know where to start looking for the endless list of specialists and therapists that my son needed. Even though I lived a few blocks away from Dell Children’s Hospital, I was hoping to find a parent that could tell me about his or her experiences with different doctors and therapists in the Austin area.

What was having another parent to talk to like? Did you find it helpful?

When I spoke to Kelli, I felt that we were speaking the same language. She understood how I felt. Talking to someone who has gone through a similar experience made a big difference for me. Even though we had never met or spoken before, she knew exactly how I felt as well.

Kelli directed me to a variety of helpful resources for doctors and therapists. She also matched me with another parent who had been in a similar situation. The parent that she matched me with had also moved to Austin within a few months of her daughter’s birth, and the parent found herself in a very similar situation to mine. That parent happened to be Marty Barnes.

Marty was very helpful in advising me how to navigate the inter-workings of the regional medical system. I was so impressed with the website that she designed for her daughter and mainly with how calm and at peace she seemed. She helped me believe that my family’s emotional storm would eventually pass! [Read more...]