ORRVILLE, Ohio (Sept. 15, 2017) – Forget-Me-Not Baskets, Ashlie’s Embrace and a local family recently teamed up to provide a meaningful donation to Aultman Orrville Hospital’s Birth Center – a “CuddleCot,” which is a cooling system that allows families to spend more time with their babies after suffering a loss during childbirth or pregnancy.
The portable CuddleCot system allows the infant to stay in the room with the family for up to 96 hours as they begin to work through the grieving process. This purchase was made possible through the efforts of Ashlie’s Embrace, a local nonprofit; proceeds from the Elephant Run 5k, an Orrville event organized by Forget-Me-Not Baskets; and generous support by Samantha and Steven Gadd, who lost their infant daughter, Victoria Jo, in February.
The systems are not widely used in the U.S., and there are only a handful in the state – and Ashlie’s Embrace wants to change that. Ashlie’s Embrace raises money to purchase CuddleCots for hospitals and birthing centers in Ohio, the Midwest and beyond. North Canton residents Erin and Tony Maroon started Ashlie’s Embrace a year and half ago after experiencing the full-term stillbirth of their first child, Ashlie Cathren, in October 2015.
The couple’s experience led them to create Ashlie’s Embrace to keep their daughter’s memory alive and allow other parents and families more time to say goodbye. Ashlie’s Embrace is dedicated to education, awareness and advocacy.
“Losing a child is difficult enough,” said Erin Maroon. “We want parents to have an option if they have to live a lifetime of memories in just minutes.” Read more about the Maroon family’s experience on their website, www.ashliesembrace.org.