Blog - Page 3 of 6 - High Risk Hope

Bailey Nicholas is HRH’s new Fund Development and Special Events Manager

January 14, 2016 By High Risk Hope

Bailey Nicholas
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Bailey attended Wake Forest University where she met her husband and Tampa-native, Richard. Bailey has worked and volunteered in the non-profit sector in the Tampa Bay Area since 2006, most recently as the Membership and Marketing Coordinator at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. She has also worked for the Tampa General Hospital Foundation and the Dali Museum, as well as volunteered with The Straz Center for the Performing Arts and The Junior League of Tampa. She holds her BA in Religion from Wake Forest University and her MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University.

Bailey was introduced to High Risk Hope when on bed rest at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital while pregnant with her twins. After doctors successfully halted her pre-term labor at 28 weeks, she remained at SJWH for four weeks on hospital bed rest. Her twins were born just shy of 35 weeks, delivered due to severe preeclampsia. Following a two week stay in the NICU, twins Henry and Nora came home healthy. Bailey notes that, “High Risk Hope supported me throughout my pregnancy and NICU stay, inspiring me to become a volunteer delivering Bed Rest Baskets and NICU Napsacks. During my time volunteering with High Risk Hope, I was continually impressed by the organization’s unique support of women on hospital bed rest and its passionate volunteers and donors.”

Bailey is thrilled about the opportunity to join this inspiring organization and even more excited to take an integral role in helping High Risk Hope expand its event and fundraising efforts in order to reach more families in crisis.

Five ways to keep your sanity through your child’s medical test results

August 30, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

Last week the flood of emotions that surround the time before and after medical test results for my child came rushing back to me. My daughter Claire has been having severe headaches most of the summer, often in the middle of the night, and our pediatrician ordered an MRI and neurologist consult. This is the same pediatrician that has been with us through the ups and downs of my hospital bed rest and Hill’s premature birth and childhood development. She is the best of the best and not one to unnecessarily sound alarm bells. So the fact that she said MRI, neurologist and Claire in one sentence sent me into sheer panic mode. As I reflect over what I did right and wrong over the past seven days with Claire, and every time Hill has had a serious test, I wanted to share five ways to keep your sanity through your child’s medical test results:

1. Research the test not the outcomes. Do. Not. Google. Symptoms. Trust me on this one and if you want to learn from my mistake, Google “MRI early morning headaches”. When I saw what popped up I could not breathe much less focus on preparing Claire for the MRI. After my husband Bennett calmed me down, I went back to Google and found some very helpful age appropriate videos geared towards children and their first MRI. I was able to research the risks of MRIs in children, which vary by age and whether or not the child has to be sedated. In addition to having Claire watch the videos, we talked to her about the test and what it might show that could help manage her headaches.

2. Call in favors if you can. When our pediatrician told us the MRI scheduler would contact us ‘soon’ to schedule the test, I imagined soon really meant we would be waiting a while to actually have the MRI. I know myself well enough to recognize my shelf life of not knowing if my child has a potentially serious condition is around 48 hours. After that I cannot promise I will not completely lose it. Luckily Bennett was able to speed up the process by reaching out to a friend who arranged for Claire to fill a cancelled appointment the next day. We rarely do this but desperate parents call for desperate measures.

3. Consult with your village. Everyone has a handful of people in their lives they call for advice on medical issues. For unknown reasons, I am that person for some of my friends (maybe not after this blog). For me, I reached out to several people including a friend who was once a nurse practitioner for a pediatric neurologist. She also happens to be a fellow preemie mom who has always helped with Hill’s medical issues. She didn’t sugar coat what was going on but calmed me down and gave me a step-by-step plan on how to move forward as opposed to remaining frozen with fear.

4. Keep your child’s teacher in the loop. At the suggestion of Claire’s pediatrician, we told her teacher and school nurse what was going on. If she takes ibuprofen and lies down for a few minutes at the first hint of a headache, it is much less severe. At first I hesitated to cause this type of inconvenience for the school but realized that it was best for Claire. If we picked the right school for our children, they would support us. One week and half-dozen headaches later, they are happily working with us until we can figure this out.

5. Visualize the best. When your child is ill and you don’t know why, it is extremely difficult to not let your mind go to the dark place of thinking it is caused by a serious illness. I took my own advice this week that I have said to friends countless times: you will be the first to know when something is seriously wrong. Stressing and obsessing over the ‘what ifs’ is pointless and could have a negative impact on your own health. Visualizing that your child will be fine won’t change the outcome but it will bridge the gap between today and the day of the test results.

By the time the MRI scheduler called to make Claire’s appointment we already had the test results. Thankfully, her scan was completely clear of any scary health issues that could have caused her headaches. We can now shift our focus to figuring out what is causing them and finding a long-term solution.

Enough is enough with Tampa flooding

August 4, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

Last night I ended my umpteenth flood day watching NBC Nightly news where I was surprised to hear Lester Holt talk about Tampa. The report focused Tampa Bay, and the surrounding communities, facing a record weekend of rain and flooding ending with Mayor Buckhorn saying “Can we fix it, no? All the money in the world would not fix this problem.”
Not exactly the vote of confidence I was hoping to hear about future flooding and Tampa’s 100+ year-old storm water drainage system. What the report did not show was that flooding is nothing new to our waterlogged residents. If you live in Tampa, you know it doesn’t take record rainfall to flood our streets. In fact, just one month ago, we faced heavy flooding after a couple hours of rain. With no warning, most of us tried to get home from work, realizing quickly there was not one safe route, including our go-to streets that don’t normally flood. While this list could go on for days, here are my top three reasons why enough is enough with Tampa flooding.

1. Access to hospitals – While this generation certainly was not involved in the decision to build one of Tampa’s top hospitals on a low-lying man-made island with access only by one bridge prone to flooding, we have to deal with the repercussions. It is no secret that access to Tampa General Hospital can be limited or cut off completely when Bayshore Blvd or Davis Islands flood. While there are other hospitals in the area, patients and ambulances that are redirected still have to navigate flooded roads, fresh submerged potholes and abandoned cars. When someone is facing a medical emergency, whether it is cardiac arrest or premature labor, every minute counts. For our families with premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, not having an open road to their baby during flooding can be terrifying. We cannot continue to put our community at risk, and undue hardship on Tampa General Hospital and ambulance drivers attempting to manage patient transport during recurrent flooding.

photo curtesy of USF

photo credit Bill Green via Facebook

2. Cost of flooding – Although the cost of the recent flooding to our community as a whole has not been estimated, we can assume the number will be eye opening. At High Risk Hope, we were forced to close the Ybor office several days over the past two weeks due to flooding. From an important Board meeting to hospital deliveries to sponsorship opportunities and cancelled events the recent flooding certainly has hurt us. Many other local businesses facing the same decision closed their doors for the safety of their employees and customers. Employees who did brave the roads to get to work most likely faced damage to their cars as they tried to blindly navigate flooded streets and bridges. For the areas where water made it into homes, the damage to personal property was devastating.

3. The pink hurricane, rather elephant, in the city – Once the rainwater clears; it is easy to quickly forget the frustration we all face with recurrent flooding. The pink elephant in the city is what our residents may face during another heavy storm or hurricane with any type of storm surge. Personally, the recent rain and flooding aftermath gives me little confidence of safety and my family will be the first on the road out of town.

Many of us have turned into Monday morning quarterbacks about what should have already been done to prevent this problem, but no one person is to blame. Mayor Buckhorn, City Council and other local leadership did not create this problem but I hope they will be part of the solution. If each of us compared our personal annual cost of flooding to the current proposed $250 Million overhaul of the stormwater drainage system ($149 increase per taxpayer per year), are we all better off financially paying the increased taxes? This week alone we spent $250 on a water pump, to remove water from puddles creeping close to the house.

The Land Rover marketing manager in charge of this ad needs a promotion. I received my ad in the mail yesterday, impeccable timing although not within my budget.

Treat every summer as if you were a tourist

July 27, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Kerri Kibbey

My family and I have been living in Tampa for almost 6 years and have yet to visit all the wonderful places it offered it’s residents. This summer the kids (Zane 5 and Kennedy 4) and I decided to skip camps and pretend we are tourists. Each week we try and plan something we have never done before. Here are the some of the activities we have let pass us by and why your family should treat every summer as if you were a tourist:.

1. The TECO Line Streetcar. You’ve seen it downtown, passing the aquarium and through Ybor City, but have you ever actually been on it? After an aquarium visit one day we rode it downtown and then to Ybor City. The kids were excited to point out all the places they recognized and we jumped off in Ybor for ice cream at Joffrey’s.

2. Weeki Wachee Springs. If you ever wondered where the mermaids live, this is it. We spent the day floating in the springs, took the short river boat cruise to see alligators, fish and turtles (during the fall you will even see manatees), and watched both mermaid shows. Pack a lunch, take your swimsuit and enjoy a fun day with the mermaids (there was even a merman!)

3. Tampa Bay Storm Game. If you have never experienced arena football, I encourage you to go. It was a BLAST! We happenedto attended the rivalry game: Orlando Predators vs Tampa Bay Storm. We saw the SWAT team propel down from the center of the field, motorcycle cops with their lights on drive around the arena, the lighting bolts went off when the Storm scored, constant action with the players, and go cart races during halftime. The kids are asking to go back to the final home game.

4. Beaches. We could probably find a new beach each week to visit. There are so many beautiful beaches we haven’t even been able to explore yet. Pass-a-grille and Indian Rocks have been two of our favorites so far.

5. eBoating. Have you seen the eBoats cruising down the Hillsborough River? The boats leave from the Tamp Bay Convention Center/Sail Pavilion and seat up to 15 people. You may bring your own food and drinks on board and they rent by the hour. They say it’s just like driving a golf cart and will give you a quick tutorial on how to drive before they send you off down the river. Date night, girls night out, family fun day or even to give out of town guests a tour of the area…. I highly recommend you rent one soon.

6. Tampa Bay Rays Summer Games. The TB Rays offer summer concerts and family events throughout the summer months. Each summer we pick a game to take he kids to and usually these events end with the kids being able to run around on the field. Sporting event and family fun – that’s what the summers are about.

7. Summer Markets, Festivals, Parks and Expos. Tampa offers some of the best activities for families. Each weekend you can find a family friendly activity to experience. We have visited the Hyde Park Market, a PopUp Popsicle Party and SharkCon 2 most recently. There is always something happening around the TB area, check you local paper for family friendly events.

There are still a few items left on our summer list including Egmont Key, Dunedin, Gulf Port and Big Cat Rescue. We have yet to take a stroll along the newly opened Riverwalk. Treating our summer as if we were tourists has opened my eyes to all the wonderful activities Tampa offers it’s lucky residents. It has also taught me to slow down. The kids and I have had the best time since we when aren’t rushing. I’d love to hear what your must seeTampa Bay Area activity is, I still have 5 more weeks until the end of summer.

Everyone has a limit and I’ve hit mine

July 20, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

Whether you are in intensive care with your premature baby, staying at home with busy and accident-prone toddlers or juggling your work and home responsibilities, there is an invisible line that you see the minute you’ve crossed it. It is the line that tells you that you’ve gone too far and something needs to give. Everyone has a limit and I’ve hit mine again. Here is how I plan to push the reset button to get back on track with my daily obligations without jeopardizing my sanity.

1. Delegate – There are tasks we all are doing on a daily basis that can be delegated. Whether it is having your six-year-old load the dishwasher (he can do it) or pushing a project to a capable employee or co-worker, you must take advantage of these ‘free’ opportunities. Not only are you helping the helper out by allowing them to learn new skills, you are saving yourself from tasks that can easily be completed by someone other than you. I may be taking this overboard at home as Hill told me in his sassiest voice to “put your stinky slippers back yourself” this morning. Ouch!

2. Outsource – Do not confuse outsourcing with delegating. Outsourcing means you have to pay someone for something you can do for ‘free’. The concept of free is misused often when referring to your time. Most people believe money is your most valuable resource but I disagree. Your time is your most valuable resource and should always be treated that way. If someone else can do something for you for less than it would ‘cost’ you to do yourself, you can’t afford not to hire him or her. An example for me is designing photo books I have been putting off for years. It is important to me to have photo books and scrapbooks for my children. I have never allocated the time to do this until this summer when I hired a wonderful college student to help me out. Two work days in, and she has completed two books and is working in my home office as I type this. This is the best money I have spent in a while.

3. Get three things done per day – In the past, I have made an endless daily to-do list that I feel bad about at night because I never complete it. I have read enough entrepreneurial articles to finally admit I am approaching daily tasks at home and work all wrong. From today on I will make my daily top five list, with the tasks I want to do least at the top, and strive to get three of them done by dinner. Not only will I now feel daily accomplishment (instead of disappointment) the perfectionist in me will probably strive to do all five. Anyone can do three important tasks a day; what will you get done today?

4. Check emails once per day – My husband Bennett has been annoying me for months with this text at the bottom of his emails. I have finally seen the light as constantly checking and replying to emails is an interruption that is eating away at my day by the minute. The first step in this plan is to turn off all email notifications on every device (both sound and the little red circle with a number). Checking emails once per day is more than adequate, and anyone with an ‘urgent’ matter will call. What will be tough is practicing what I preach and not demanding an immediate email response back by others.

5. Ignore the negative chatter – There is a constant chatter in my head that I could be doing almost everything better. Whether it relates to raising my children or running High Risk Hope, I am my worst critic. Sometimes it is spurred by misplaced criticism from someone in my inner circle or a negative comment from strangers on the Internet looking to stir up trouble. The bottom line is I am doing my best with the time and resources I have and that is enough. I want to be the first person to tell you that whatever you are doing is enough too, ignore the haters including yourself.

Whatever your limit, chances are you will hit it too this summer if you haven’t already. I challenge you to learn from my mistakes and implement these easy changes before you cross the line.

NICU moms don’t make good summer camp moms

July 13, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

I got home last night from dropping my eight-year-old daughter Claire off in North Carolina for her first time at sleep away camp, which will last 12 days. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking this time last year when I signed her up without even visiting the camp beforehand. I did not go to camp. My sister and I weren’t even allowed to sleep over at friends’ houses because my mom was extremely protective of us. My husband on the other hand started going to camp when he was seven, and went every summer through his teenage years. His sister, mom, grandmother and great aunt (who is now 103) went to the camp Claire is attending. I knew if I did not send her to camp, and this specific one, I would be breaking a tradition that went back generations. Claire is healthy, well rounded, adventurous, outgoing and was chomping at the bit to attend camp, so I gave in. I have learned after my first camp drop off that NICU moms don’t make good summer camp moms. Here’s why:

1. The local hospitals are not up to our standards. Most camps are understandably located in the middle of the mountains for the scenery and activities expected at a great summer camp. That also means that hospitals are few and far between. On the drive in to camp I was frantically searching the Internet for more information on the only hospital in the city. Having been spoiled rotten by our local hospitals, and the amount of time I spent in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with Hill and the children’s emergency room with Claire, I was underwhelmed with what I found on this particular hospital. Bennett was not impressed when I asked him how we could find out the local hospital’s plan to medevac a camper to a better hospital if needed.

2. Minimal communication. Campers are not allowed to call home, only write letters. The moment we pulled out of the camp I felt nauseous from sheer panic. Leaving my firstborn child was against every fiber of my being as a mother. I wanted to talk to her to know she was OK but I knew it wasn’t happening. Even if she wrote me a letter every day (which I begged her to do) the first one won’t arrive until the end of this week. We’ve all seen the posts about hysterically funny letters from campers. In the daily letters I write to Claire, I can relate to the one from a camper that says ‘these wet spots are my tears.’ Luckily I have a wonderful sister-in-law who sent her sister, also dropping off a daughter at camp, to check on Claire after we left. She said Claire was already right at home.

3. Complete loss of control again. NICU moms know how terrible if feels to have no control over your child’s health when they are in the hospital. Although Claire was not my NICU baby, I have attempted to control her safety just as much as Hill’s. Dropping her off at camp and having no control over her health and well-being is terrifying. Will she wear sunscreen? Will she get tick bites? Will she take extra risks during horseback riding? Please, please don’t dive into water until you are 100% sure of how deep it is. On the way up, she told me I would be THE worst camp counselor. She said I would make campers wear helmets and safety gear for everything from the zip line to swimming, running after them yelling ‘be careful!’

4. Stalker tendencies re-emerge. I was a big-time stalker in the NICU. From doctors to nurses to specialists, I needed to know which person was seeing Hill and why at all times. I have noticed my stalker tendencies re-emerging with Claire through the photos posted by the camp. Just yesterday they posted 300 photos on the private website and she was not in one (I checked twice). In the email I sent to her today (we can only write once per day) I couldn’t resist saying “I looked through all of the camp photos they posted from yesterday, the Renaissance party looked so fun. I didn’t see you in any of the pictures. We would love to see how much fun you are having so try to get in a few.” Subtle, right?

5. They are OK without you. I want Claire to have the best time at camp and I don’t want her to be sad or miss us for a minute. If she has a great time, that also means she is OK without me. That is part of growing up but also difficult for most parents to accept. Clearly, Claire wants and needs to escape the maximum-security Barrow nest and spread her wings. I only hope she happily flies back home (in one piece) after her big adventure. I can sleep a little easier knowing we picked a reputable camp, with wonderful girls and a staff that will take the best care of her.

Speaking of flying, to my absolute horror, Hill is already talking about one day going to camp. Telling Hill he could go to camp when pigs fly was not the most mature response. I only know that sending my NICU baby to be looked after by strangers does not seem like a possibility right now, and that’s OK. Luckily, Hill is not as sad about Claire being at camp as I am. He writes “Dear Claire, I will miss you even though I will have some peace. Love, Hill.”

10 years of marriage and 10 mistakes that made me Better Than I Used To Be

May 18, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this Thursday. Last year after I published a blog on How to emerge from a health crisis with a rock solid marriage, I received a lot of feedback with most comments including the words ‘perfect family and marriage.’ Our family may take a perfect picture but our imperfection is what keeps our marriage and family strong. On my way into the HRH office this morning Tim McGraw’s song Better Than I Used To Be came on the radio and the first verse jumped out at me. For me, it describes how I have felt on every anniversary, birthday or milestone we have celebrated. I’ve gotten a lot of things right in in life but probably just as many things wrong. It is how you use the mistakes to make yourself better that counts. While I have made dozens of mistakes, I will focus on the top 10. Cheers to 10 years of marriage and 10 mistakes that made me Better Than I Used To Be:

1. Putting our kids before our marriage. Any mom of a NICU baby knows it is virtually impossible not to put your preemie first above everyone else. That experience makes you fear any future bad thing that can happen to your preemie and his siblings. You cherish the gift of your child and that makes every aspect of your children’s lives the most important thing in yours. I’ve had to re-focus my priorities knowing that if I don’t put my husband before my children more often than not, over the long-term my children will be worse off. They may not always like being second and third fiddle, but they will one day appreciate the gift of happy parents who stayed together.

2. Not taking time for myself. Take one look at my toenails and you will know this is not a mistake I have adequately addressed. I cannot find even 30 minutes in a month to get a pedicure. I will say I am on the road to recovery as I just returned from a weekend trip in Las Vegas with 3 of my childhood best friends where I had a great time and got my toenails painted! We have marked that weekend for our future annual girls trips. I realized after I refilled my tank in Las Vegas that I was able to give more to my husband and my family. I plan to make myself a priority going forward.

3. Having unrealistic expectations. I am a notorious perfectionist and Bennett thankfully is not. My expectations for how and when he handles problems that arise are never in touch with reality, and that is a recipe for disaster. I have learned that however (and whenever) he gets to a conclusion is not wrong just because it is not how I would have done it. This was (and is still) a hard one for me, but I am taking baby steps.

4. Letting my social anxiety keep us home. I must have over a hundred invitations we have RSVPd no to since 2009. From charitable events to dinners to birthday parties, the thought of having to make small talk with someone I barely know makes me sweat. My social anxiety is another unanticipated outcome of my long-term hospital stay, when for months anyone could walk into my room uninvited and I would be forced to talk as long as they wanted to stay. Bennett did not have the same outcome and actually enjoys a fun night out with a crowd, so I have made a much better effort recently. Case in point is attending a close friend’s recent dinner party for 60+, where we not only had a great time but I made some new friends too!

5. Bringing friends’ problems into our marriage. Our friends all got married around the same time as us, and through the years different friends have confided in me with problems they are having, and vice versa. While not disclosing details that may give the friend away, I would test the waters and gauge Bennett’s reaction by telling whatever was going down. I always expected he would have the exact same reaction as me, pure annoyance at that husband. Bad idea, he saw right through it and rarely agreed with me. I have finally learned not to create drama where this is none.

6. Not dealing with the post-traumatic stress we both faced after Hill’s discharge from the NICU. For six years we have not really dealt with the trauma our family experienced with Hill’s birth. Worrying our baby might die every minute of every day for three months created stress and anxiety that won’t go away without professional help, which we never got. I dealt with it by forming High Risk Hope to help other families, and Bennett dealt with it by being super dad to our kids. He does the things every day for our family that many wives couldn’t picture their husbands doing once. Not just cooking, cleaning and child-rearing but painting a yellow brick road for a Wizard of Oz birthday party. While productive and positive, these reactions are not normal or healthy. In the future we will deal with this head-on, rather than burying it under other accomplishments and obligations.

7. Not going to church enough. The couple that prays together stays together. My family always makes church a priority when we are in the middle of a crisis. My generous and unsuspecting Pastor, John DeBevoise, gave me his cell phone number in 2009 and I am not afraid to use it! I want to start going to church every week to ward off the crisis, or at least be fully prepared when one hits again. My beliefs may not be the same as yours but find something to believe in and do it as a family on a regular basis.

8. Letting external drama consume too much time. We all have family drama with work, friends, parents and siblings. It is in my nature to dissect every detail of drama from every angle imaginable, and then talk about it some more. I would bet Bennett might say this is the most annoying thing about me. He will put up with it to a point then cut me off, which drives me crazy because I have more to say. I have learned to limit my discussion with him and call my sister, mom or a few close friends, who will happily enable me.

9. Not leaving work at work. There’s not much to say about this other than I have been known to eat, breathe and sleep HRH. While I believe that is tolerable around our important events, it is not OK year-round and I need to have firm boundaries about what/when I bring HRH home (or on vacation :0).

10. Forgiveness. Although Bennett’s mom will be the first to tell you he’s a catch, he makes mistakes too. He has earned my love and deepest respect over the past 10 years and doesn’t make big mistakes often. When he does, my forgiveness needs to come faster than it has in the past because he deserves it.

We went out of town (without kiddos) to celebrate this weekend and it poured rain on Saturday to be followed by this beautiful rainbow and champagne sent to our hotel by a special aunt and uncle of Bennett’s. Hopefully a sign of many more challenges to be followed by happy times to come!

Create a Container Garden With Your Kids

April 20, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Sarah (aka Grammy) Cauley

Summer and outdoor play go hand in hand. I love teaching kids about gardening. They love to dig in the dirt and learn where food and flowers come from. You can start small with a personal herb garden that will not only spice up your food life but will also teach your children about healthy living. Here is a list of how to create a container garden with your kids. These same steps also apply to a container flower garden.

Materials needed: (1) Organic potting soil mixed with all-natural organic fertilizer; (2) Herbs or flowers of choice; (3) Planting container of choice; and (4) Small gardening shovel.

Patio containers are easy to plant, but it’s worth spending a few minutes preparing the pots before you start. Select a pot that will accommodate the plants easily and will allow room for growth. If you are using terra cotta pots, prepare them for planting by first giving the insides a good soaking using a watering can or hose.

Select your favorite herbs or flowers from your local nursery, garden center, like Home Depot or Lowe’s—organic varieties of rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, cilantro, and mint make good choices because they’re common to cook with. Before removing the herbs from the nursery pots, water the plant to saturate the roots and help loosen the soil from the sides of the plastic containers. A trick to easily remove the herbs or flowers is to roll the pot on its side while using gentle pressure.

Fill the pot with compost, leaving a gap at the top to allow for watering. Mix a granular fertilizer into the soil according to the instructions on the packet.

Position plants in the pot, leaving enough space between them to allow for growth. Gently firm down the soil around the roots, and water in well.

Arrange the herbs or flowers equal distance from each other. Dig holes. Place plants so their base is level with top of soil. Cover roots and fill any gaps with the remaining potting soil. Next, water again. Make sure to water about every other day or as needed.

Position plants in the pot, leaving enough space between them to allow for growth. Gently firm down the soil around the roots, and water in well.

Now sit back and watch your garden grow while you build lasting memories with your children.

Happy gardening! Grammy

High Risk Hope is partnering with Hyde Park Village on Give Day Tampa Bay

April 9, 2015 By High Risk Hope

High Risk Hope is partnering with Hyde Park Village on Give Day Tampa Bay to raise money and awareness for HRH during the 24-hour giving challenge on May 5, 2015! Hyde Park Village stores and restaurants will be offering discounts, promotions and giveaways to HRH supporters who donate a minimum of $25 on May 5^th. Additionally, a HRH donor will match all donations made to HRH on May 5th up to $10,000. HRH will also be giving out Tampa Bay Storm tickets to HRH Give Day Tampa Bay supporters. Here is a full list of HRH donor discounts on Give Day Tampa Bay!

ABOUT GIVE DAY TAMPA BAY

Give Day Tampa Bay is a one-day online giving challenge on May 5, 2015 led by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Florida Next Foundation to raise support for local nonprofits and grow philanthropy in our region. It is a community-wide event to show off Tampa Bay’s spirit of giving, raise awareness about local nonprofits, and celebrate the collective effort of our region. The inaugural Give Day Tampa Bay in 2014 raised $1.1 million, and HRH raised $15,820 and placed 5th in overall donors out of 384 nonprofits spanning 4 counties! With help from our HRH supporters, Hyde Park Village and the $10,000 matching pledge, this year HRH will be even more successful.

ABOUT HIGH RISK HOPE

High Risk Hope, located in Tampa, Florida, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed on February 16, 2011 to provide support, encouragement, information and resources to women and families who are experiencing a high risk pregnancy resulting in hospital bed rest, potential premature birth and neonatal intensive care after delivery. HRH is the only local or national organization providing these services to women on long-term hospital bed rest and premature infants in the NICU. HRH reaches over 1,200 patients annually, and 2,600 total since 2011, at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and Tampa General Hospital, where babies are born healthier and their families’ hospital stays are more manageable because of HRH’s services.

Nearly 500,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States each year and 9,000 babies die as a result of their premature birth. With a 2013 premature birth rate of almost 14%, Florida is one of the worst states in the nation in terms of premature birth prevention. Each day a woman on hospital bed rest is able to remain pregnant is a miracle and decreases her baby’s NICU stay by an estimated three days. Lengthening pregnancies at risk for pre-term delivery results in healthier babies. High Risk Hope is a catalyst in the global fight to end premature birth; winning a life-long victory with every baby helped.

How Sharp is Your Axe?

March 20, 2015 By High Risk Hope

By Amber Bennett

It seems like such a simple question. Until you ponder on it a bit and realize that your axe could be sharper. At least mine could be. I am the definition of what we like to define as busy-I am a mother to Stella, my four year old future world leader and baby Logan, who is just six months old but can easily pass as a twelve month old. Oh yeah, and I work full time too for an amazing company, PwC. My days start at 6 a.m. and they do not stop until I crash into a heap of tiredness around 9:30 p.m., OK 9:00 p.m.

I was trying to pretend like I take 30 minutes for myself during that time. I don’t. I haven’t in some time. That is, until the other day. The other day wasn’t so special; it was a typical early morning where I got too little sleep, after keeping said six month old well fed throughout the night. Have I thanked the inventors of coffee yet? I haven’t? Well, thank you. What was different about this particular morning was that I made a conscious decision to invest in myself for a change. The house was quiet, everyone was still sleeping and I went for a 30 minute walk.

It wasn’t earth shattering but it was a walk by myself-for myself. A walk where I was not a mom, an employee, a wife, I was just Amber. I sharpened my axe. Then that evening, I carved out 20 minutes to read a book that I had been staring at for weeks but I was unable to actually open it and get past the first page (someone is nodding their head in agreement right now). I sharpened my axe again. During this same week I met a dear friend for lunch and invested in my relationships. Wow-I sharpened my axe again. And you know what is so cool about sharpening your dull axe? The more you actively engage in investing in yourself, the more clarity and determination will arrive to meet you on your journey.

As women we have many demands put on us. Demands from our family, demands from our friends and social circles, and demands from our employers. Do you want to know a secret? Do you know who puts the toughest, most rigorous, demands on us? We do. That’s right, we do. At least I do that. I am my toughest challenger, my biggest critic. I believed (I really did) that the world might fall apart those 30 minutes I was on that walk. What if Stella woke up and did not know where her mom went? What if Logan was hungry and was screaming and woke the whole house up? And what I came to realize after that long, glorious walk (coming into a still very quiet and very asleep house) was that they are just fine.

The more I invest in myself, the more I sharpen my axe physically through exercise, socially through spending time with my husband and my friends, spiritually through my relationship with God, and professionally in my field; the better wife, mother, friend, and contributor to society I will be.

So now, amazing women of the world, I ask you-how sharp is your axe?

Bailey Nicholas is HRH’s new Fund Development and Special Events Manager

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How Sharp is Your Axe?

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