Why Are We Doing This?

On January 6th, 2016, we lost our daughter due to complications from prematurity. In her short 102 days of life, she received the most amazing care from the staff at Akron Children’s Hospital. Aside from her medical care, the staff did everything in their power to make our family feel comfortable and welcome. We remember the nurses making nametags and crafts for Scarlett on their breaks. We remember Brittany getting free breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a nursing mom. We remember the staff letting us change the diaper of our almost two pound baby girl, just to provide a sense of normalcy. We remember the nurses putting a bunny tail on Scarlett’s diaper cover for Easter.  We remember the Palliative Care providing additional support, which we needed even more than we knew. We remember the staff visiting our oldest daughter, Penelope, who learned how to walk in a hospital room. We remember getting a balloon and a hand written note every year on April 16th to honor and remember our daughter. These are just a few of the many ways Akron Children’s has gone out of their way for our family.

That being said, 2016 was the hardest year of our lives. We often think about the staff losing patients that they’ve grown attached to. We cannot imagine a more emotionally draining field to be in, yet here they are. They show up every day and give everything they have to our children. How amazing is it that we have this wonderful hospital right here in our backyards in Northeast Ohio? Many people we know have had some sort of experience with Akron Children’s and we seem to only ever hear wonderful feedback. Our family’s mission is to do whatever we can to give back to the hospital, with hopes that more babies make it home to their families.

Our 2021 event would have been our 6th annual NYE Masquerade Ball. We have decided to forego the in-person event due to the success of the online raffle in previous years. To no surprise, our community has come together to contribute many donations to raise funds for this wonderful cause. Thank you so much for your generosity- you will never know how much it means to us.

-The Buchheit Family