The Gift of Time: Glass Family Donates Cuddle Cot to Archbold Memorial Hospital

Kaleigh and Allen Glass know the inexplicable grief that comes with the loss of a child. February 24th, 2021 Kaleigh and Allen came to Archbold Memorial Hospital due to preterm complications. Emerson Rae was delivered by emergency cesarean section but was unable to be resuscitated.

"When we lost Emerson, the nurses here at Archbold gave us the greatest gift they could, time with her," said Kaleigh Glass.

Archbold was able to borrow a Cuddle Cot from Grady General Hospital to allow Kaleigh and Allen time to see and hold their daughter. The Cuddle Cot also allowed family members to visit and see the beautiful child they had created.

A Cuddle Cot is a cooled bassinet that preserves the newborn's body for 2-3 days longer. Thus, granting grieving families more time with their child.

After the loss, the couple was able to raise enough funds to help others in a similar situation to their own. With a sizable donation, the couple purchased a Cuddle Cot for the Archbold Maternity Center and donated additional funds, which will be used towards the development of a future bereavement area for other patients grieving the loss of a newborn.

"When thinking about how to honor her life, the only way we thought fit was to give another family the gift of time that was given to us. Honestly, we hope that there is never a use for this cot. We hope that it sits in a closet where it is forgotten about. But we know that that isn't how life works, especially lately," added Glass. "We trust that this is a choice that makes Emerson proud and is a way to honor her short, love-filled life that she had."

"Our hearts go out the Glass/Wood family. It was an unexpected loss that affected our entire staff," said Whitney Sampson, Assistant Director of Nursing for Perinatal Services. "This Cuddle Cot is such a valuable gift to our maternity center. Parents who suffer a similar loss will now have the one thing that matters, time. This extra time will allow parents to bond with their baby as they begin the grieving process."

The Cuddle Cot donated by the Glass family has a plaque attached in memory of their daughter, Emerson Rae Glass.