Family gives ‘gift of extra time’ to parents in hospital
By Henry Daily Herald Staff
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STOCKBRIDGE, Georgia (Henry Daily Herald) — On April 22, Grayson Stone Dean came into this world stillborn at Piedmont Henry Hospital.
It was a very difficult time for parents Laken and Jordan Dean, made more challenging because they had planned for photos the next day.
In passing, a nurse mentioned an Amish cooling cradle, a temperature-controlled bassinet that allows parents to keep their baby with them as long as needed while in the hospital.
“A cooling cradle provides the gift of extra time to parents, giving them time to bond with their baby,” said Laken.
At the time of her son’s birth the hospital did not have a cooling cradle. She made it her mission, starting the nonprofit Grayson’s Footprints Foundation, to raise money to purchase a cradle for other parents experiencing the loss of a baby.
The foundation’s continued goal is to purchase as many as possible for other hospitals.
She recently fulfilled her first goal of making sure Piedmont Henry families in similar situations had the device to help them.
“This is such a selfless gift of compassion and love at a time when Mr. and Mrs. Dean had sustained such a great personal loss,” said Lily Henson, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Henry. “We are honored to be able to provide some level of comfort to families in their time of need.”
For more information about the foundation, email graysonfootprintsfoundation@gmail.com.
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