At the start of her journey, Anna had no idea what three months with babies in neonatal care would involve. The guidance and information she received from Bliss were crucial at a time when she otherwise didn’t have anyone to turn to.
Anna particularly valued the fact that the information Bliss offered was specific to premature babies – things like breastfeeding and weaning can be a little different for babies born premature, so it was great to get guidance that took that into account. Anna continued to use Bliss’ information throughout the triplets’ first few years.
As Bliss is a charity, Anna really generously wanted to give back, to make sure that other parents like her didn’t have to face having a sick or premature baby alone. She set up a Sunshine Fund in honour of her three daughters.
Instead of fundraising, Anna donates to her Sunshine Fund through her employer. Her employer then matches her donations, doubling the impact of each gift.
Thanks to Anna’s generosity, her Sunshine Fund has accumulated enough money to hit our tree-planting milestone, and a tree was planted in her daughters’ honour near their home*. Anna finds that this physical reminder, as well as the Fund itself, has helped her explain to her daughters what they all went through in their first few months.
She also enjoys being able to see the cumulative impact of her donations over time, as she can see everything that she’s donated to help sick and premature babies, all in one place. Seeing the total grow inspires Anna to keep on contributing, and keeps Bliss in her mind.
*Please note, we now offer a star dedication rather than a tree dedication, due to ongoing supply issues which started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
