Our bow diva, Ellie Brown by Andrea and Pete Brown
Merry Christmas 2011, The Brown Family is expecting! Wow, we were so excited. Noah was going to be a big brother; he would tell everyone with a big ol’ smile on his face. My husband and I could not have been more excited to complete our family with magical number four. Right before Easter we found out we were expecting a little girl. Everything looked well with our baby, although my cervix was thinning fast. The doctors placed me on bed rest at the end of May and scheduled ultrasounds every week thereafter. Ellise “Ellie” Helene Brown was delivered via C-section on August 24th at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Our family instantly fell in love.Things went smoothly with Ellie as a baby. She slept through the night (big brother did not do that until he was four, yes four!), ate like a champ, and grew like a weed. Christmas arrived, and we were excited; we had a new bike for Noah and a baby Cabbage Patch Doll for Ellie. Ellie loved Christmas. She was such a good baby, sitting and smiling; that is, until someone opened a gift. The crinkling of the wrapping paper terrified her, and she would start screaming. We couldn’t believe it! She smiled all the time, but that paper scared her. If we had only known that would be our last video of her.My brother had a sledding accident on New Year’s, so his two boys spent the day with us. This would be the last time the boys and Ellie played together. That night they Skyped with Pete’s, my husband, parents. When Pete and I went back to work, Ellie visited with my dad, and then my mom. Ellie had her fill and her last “stop” was on January 9, 2013.On January 9, we dropped Ellie off with our babysitter. We had a great babysitter; she loved our kids as her own. She often took the kids on walks to see farm animals. That day, Ellie fell asleep in her car seat. When they arrived home, Ellie was still asleep, so our babysitter carried her in her car seat to the “nap room”. After checking on her several times, our babysitter realized that Ellie was unresponsive. Ellie never woke up; she was with the Lord. Two days later the sheriff tearfully reported, “We have no idea why your daughter died, and so her death will be classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).” This is the answer one gets when there is no answer – there would be no closure.
Ellie was my “bow diva.” Ellie always matched her hair bow to her outfit. We had a whole drawer dedicated to bows. Through our grieving, we started a foundation in her name – the Ellise Brown Foundation. Our mission is to educate families, raise awareness, and provide funding for research on SIDS as well as cover funeral costs for families who lose an infant. To raise money, we make bows and sell them. Yes bows! In March 2013, we began the Ellise Brown Foundation with funding from Bows for Ellie. We knew, however, that this would not be enough. In the midst of starting the foundation, we found a run/walk that supported SIDS: Tyler’s Run. To our disappointment, the family running the event was retiring, but asked us to take it over. WOW! Two months into the grieving process, can we really take on this fundraiser and make it work?!?! The Brown Family was on board! We can do it and let Ellie be our motivation. Instead of crying, let’s make bows! Instead of sitting here thinking about what ifs, let’s send sponsor letters! We channeled our sadness and grief into making the first annual Ellie and Tyler’s 4 Miler a successful event. And successful it was! We were able to donate to Whitewater Park Kids Program, Cribs for Kids in Cincinnati, Cradle Cincinnati, Charlie’s Kids Foundation, cover funeral expenses for a family who lost an infant, and, last but not least, Margaret Mary Health.Margaret Mary Health is where Ellie was born and where she was later pronounced dead. We knew we wanted to focus on SIDS and promote safe sleep through our community hospital. Debbie Gloyd, OB Nurse Manager, felt that “if we [Margaret Mary Health] are going to preach it, we are going to do it.” In less than a year, Margaret Mary Health became a blanket-free hospital committed to using Halo SleepSacks. Every mother, upon discharge, is now provided two Halo SleepSacks: a newborn swaddle SleepSack and a larger SleepSack for a baby to grow into. Families also receive a Charlie’s Kids Sleep Baby Safe and Snug book, and all girls receive an Ellie Bow. We also started a Crib for Kids program to deter bed-sharing and provide cribs for families in need. Through the grace of God, baby Ellie is leaving her mark and having a wonderful impact on this world. Our next mission is to convert Cincinnati hospitals to blanket-free institutions.The Brown Family – Pete, Andrea, Noah, and Ellie – welcomed Emma Anne on February 14, 2014.Ellie and Tyler’s 4 Miler + Evy’s 10K is September 13, 2014 at Whitewater Park in Harrison Ohio at 9 am. You can register online at www.speedy-feet.com. Please come and help us “save KIDS from SIDS."
Pete, Andrea, Noah, Ellie and Emma