By Alicia Elkin
Nicole Dice and her husband were nervous and excited at the thought of bringing their son into the world. However, 20 weeks into the pregnancy, their happiness turned to devastation.
“We found out he had Type 2 thanatophoric dysplasia and would likely not survive to birth,” says Dice, president and co-founder of Loving Daniel. “We carried out and loved every moment God granted us with our son. We delivered him at 36 weeks, and Daniel John Dice survived for 89 minutes before entering into eternity.”
Despite his short life, Dice and her husband were able to spend four days with Daniel, holding him and making memories.
“We later found out that the amount of time we had with him was fairly uncommon because medically his body should have broken down more within that time,” she says. “We took that as a sign that God wanted us to help other families have time to bond with their babies and support them in their grief.”
Dice discovered the U.S. Cuddle Cot Initiative online and decided, with her husband, to honor Daniel’s life by helping other families with the gift of time. As a result, Dice created Loving Daniel, a nonprofit organization that purchases Cuddle Cots and places them within hospitals so families can be given the option of spending more time with their babies.
A Cuddle Cot is a cooling device that slows down the body’s decomposition after death. By using the Cuddle Cot, the baby never needs to leave the family during their hospital stay, giving them more time with their child.
“The time in the hospital is vital because once you leave, your child is not going home with you,” says Dice. “The only time you have to hold your baby, kiss them, sing to them and care for them is in the short time at the hospital.”
The Cuddle Cot can be used in instances of stillbirth, neonatal death and miscarriage. Loving Daniel also provides cards and ornaments for families to make memories, as well as personal support to families who contact them or are sent to them by local groups.
Loving Daniel recently made its first Cuddle Cot placement in the state of West Virginia at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. The nonprofit focuses on placing Cuddle Cots in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, so the organization believes it will place more Cuddle Cots in the state of West Virginia soon.
For more information about Loving Daniel, visit www.OurAngelDaniel.com.
About the Author
Alicia Elkin is a manager for the strategic communications team at Signal Group in Washington, D.C. Before joining Signal, she held multiple roles at IQ Solutions, GolinHarris and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s asthma & allergy friendly™ certification program. A graduate of West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations, Elkin is a lifelong video gamer and science fiction nerd and enjoys reading and writing fantasy fiction.
