Tiny Footprints Are a Big Step Towards Helping Babies

By Amy George

If you are like me, you cherish the tiny set of footprints that were made shortly after your child was born. They symbolize the wonder of the precious life that entered the world that day.
The footprints of my oldest daughter, Ann Catherine, are probably tinier than most.
She was born 26 weeks early and weighed only one pound, 15 ounces. You can probably imagine how incredibly small her footprints are! And even though her twin sister, Melissa, died a few hours after she was born, I also have her footprints. The caring nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children made her footprints after she died and gave them to me and my husband, Chris.

We treasure them.

That’s why I am thrilled that the jerseys the Huntsville Havoc players will wear at this year’s “Melissa George Night” will feature the footprints of NICU miracles like my daughter. Ashley Balch, Vice-President of Business Operations for the Huntsville Havoc, came up with the idea to create a jersey that features the footprints of actual babies who were in our NICU! The footprints will be in pink and blue and will dot the front of the jerseys.

The players will wear these special jerseys on Saturday, January 9th, against the Mississippi Surge and will auction them after the game with all of the proceeds benefiting the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. We’ll use the money to provide Giraffe Warmers, special beds for premature infants in our NICU.

In just three years, this event has raised more than $170,000 for Melissa’s Fund. As a former player for the Huntsville ChannelCats and Huntsville Tornado, Chris knew first-hand how passionate Huntsville hockey fans were about their favorite sport. We have been so humbled by the passion they have also shown for our daughter’s fund and the sick babies who are in our NICU. We are so grateful for their support!

In addition to bidding on these special jerseys, fans will also have the chance to bid on the sticks the players use during warm-ups. And the first 1,000 fans who bring an item for the NICU – such as preemie clothing, hats, socks, blankets and disposable cameras – will receive a FREE Havoc “Melissa George Night” retro tin lunchbox. They are so cool and your kids will love them! To purchase tickets, call the Huntsville Havoc at 518-6160,or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com or the VBC Box Office.

The footprints on these jerseys may be tiny, but together they represent hope for hundreds of families who are hurting. We hope you’ll attend this year’s game and help us take another “step” towards making life better for the precious babies in our NICU and their families!

Amy George is a former news anchor for WHNT NewsChannel 19. She and her husband, Chris, founded the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund in memory of their daughter, Melissa Suzanne. The fund raises money for the Neonatal ICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. They have two other daughters: Ann Catherine (3) and Lily Baker (2). Follow her blog.