Having lost two infants, Kendall and Andy Reid know all too well how precious time can be for families having to say goodbye. After losing their second baby, the Bonaire couple began raising money to buy CuddleCots to offer other families extra time.

The CuddleCot system is an in-room cooling unit used to slow down the natural process that follows death. The system allows the baby to remain with family for longer periods, giving parents and other loved ones more time early in the grieving process.

After losing their daughter, Ruby, in 2017 and son, Jack, in 2019, the Reids joined forces with Ohio-based non-profit Ashlie’s Embrace with a goal of placing CuddleCots in hospitals to help other families. Since 2019, the Reids have raised money to donate 10 CuddleCots, including one given to the Family Birth Center in January 2020 and a unit gifted to Navicent Health Baldwin in 2020. 

The Reids and Kendall Reid’s mother, Lisa, donated a third CuddleCot this week for use in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital.

“It gives the gift of time to families like mine who won’t get more with their babies when they go home,” said Kendall Reid.

After learning it was difficult to share the cots because of distance between the Family Birth Center and the NICU, Reid said her family wanted to provide easy access to CuddleCots for parents in both locations.

“We want parents here to have easy access, no matter what situation they’re in,” she said.

Each CuddleCot costs about $3,000. Fewer than 1,000 are in use in the United States.

“Because of the Reids’ generosity, other families facing devastating loss will have the opportunity to spend more time as they begin to grieve, and for that, we’re extremely grateful,” said Atrium Health Navicent President and CEO Delvecchio Finley.