NEW ORLEANS - When a young couple went through a heartbreaking loss last year, they began to think of how they could make life better for others going through the same pain.
That's when they started a new foundation called 'Saul's Light' where a tiny life, is making a big difference. Kimberly and Aaron Novod remember the moment they got the news.
"I was in love the moment I found out I was pregnant," remembers Kimberly Novod.
Then an ultrasound revealed more exciting news. "We had been thinking strongly about the name Saul because it means 'prayed for and asked for' which was very fitting, because we were first time parents. We were very excited. We wanted a boy," she added.
When she was 28 weeks along, everything was going fine until one morning, Kimberly woke up and just felt something wasn't right. "I was very afraid. I was scared. I knew it was too soon."
Kimberly was rushed into an emergency C-section at East Jefferson General Hospital. On June 7, 2014, Saul Novod came into this world weighing just a little more than two and a half pounds.
At first the news was good. He was breathing well and taking breast milk, but then there was a complication that can happen to preemies, a serious brain bleed. Saul was transferred to the NICU at Children's Hospital.
"They were the worst days of my life, to be with your child and never know if today is going to be the last day, is not something you can imagine," said Kimberly.
At 20 days, old his little body could no longer hold on. "I had those 20 days with him and so I mean, they were the best days and the worst days of my life. We're lucky to have had those 20 days. We know families who, their children were stillborn and so they don't even have that time," remembers Aaron Novod, Saul's father.
A day doesn't go by that Aaron and Kimberly don't think about the gift of Saul's short life, so they decided to share that gift with other parents by creating Saul's Light Foundation. Its goal is to help families bond with their babies in the NICU with financial support that could help with transportation or a place to stay nearby. And for those like Saul who don't make it through, or those who are stillborn, there is the gift of the Moses Basket and the CuddleCot. Parents who lose a baby, treasure the precious moments saying good-bye. They want time for family members to join them. They want pictures to hold for a lifetime in their otherwise empty arms. The pretty bassinet, lined with special cooling devices from the CuddleCot, cools the baby, slowing down changes so parents can have a little more time to kiss and remember their new born faces, hold their tiny fingers and toes.
"In the end, when a baby passes, one thing that we do as bereaved parents, is we hold on to those memories that we created in a short time because those memories have to last a lifetime for us," said Kimberly.
The goal is to donate a set to all the local hospitals. East Jefferson General Hospital got the first.
"We've always had the ability to offer photos to mementos, keepsakes, but the gift of time is something that's going to be very unique," said Paula Adamcewicz, a nurse who is the Director of Woman and Newborn Services at East Jefferson General Hospital.
"I wanted the rest of my life to say good-bye to him," Aaron sadly recalls.
As parents, the Novod's love only grows for baby Saul, even though they will never get to see him grow into a man. But through the gifts from Saul's Light, his short life is making a life-long difference in the hearts of many.
To find out more about Saul's Light, or to donate:
Saul's Light on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saulslightfoundation/
The CuddleCot: http://flexmort.com/cuddle-cots/
