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The loss of a child is always a difficult time for any family, especially so when it is an infant or stillbirth. Some hospitals offer services for grieving parents during this time. Previously, Memorial Hospital would offer memory boxes, including mementos such as gowns, blankets, and even a lock of the infant’s hair. Now, thanks to the Emerson’s Rae of Light Foundation, the hospital has received a new service to offer families: a Cuddle Cot.

A Cuddle Cot is a cooling unit that comes with a specialized cooling blanket, designed to keep the infant’s body cool and intact.

“Because infants are so small, their features deteriorate really quickly, so the Cuddle Cot just keeps them cool, and keeps them looking like your baby, so you get that extra time with them,” Kaleigh Glass, one of the Foundation’s founders, explained.

Kaleigh and her husband Alan lost their daughter, Emerson Rae, in 2021. This led to them donating Cuddle Cots to local hospitals, first to Archbold Memorial in Thomasville, and then to Tallahassee.

“So it kind of became a thing for us,” Kaleigh explained, “we wanted to make sure all the hospitals in our area have one of these. We want to give that gift of time to as many families as we can.”

The couple founded the Emerson’s Rae of Light Foundation this year, and were able to raise $80,000 at a fundraiser earlier in April.

“Which just really goes to show how needed these bereavement services are in our community, because it’s very much something that’s not talked about,” she said. “We were lucky enough to have such a big support system. We grew up in Thomasville, everybody knew us and everybody was so supportive, and we wanted to be sure that other families can have some of that.”

Lori Eubanks, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hospital, thanked the foundation for their contribution. “We have been very honored to get this donation,” she said, “because there are some times that a family needs time with a child that has lost their life. A lot of times, people want to stay with their child longer, and this will make that possible.”