An Oregon couple is coping with the loss of their own pregnancy by paying off hospital bills for families who have stillborn babies.
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Rebekka and Randy Hauskins, of Happy Valley, are creating a fund for parents who are left paying for stillborn deliveries.
They named it after Hayden, their daughter who was stillborn after 32 week gestation in 2010.
“We were really excited – we were going to have our second child. That was our family plan,” Rebekka told InsideEdition.com. “And then I didn’t feel good. I just didn’t feel right. I called our doctor and let them know how I was feeling and we probably found out about her demise I would say pretty soon thereafter.”
After Hayley’s death, the couple spent the next several months paying off installments for the $1,000 hospital bill they incurred from the delivery.
“I think after six months or so, I got sick of seeing the bill for $77,” Randy told InsideEdition.com. “You’re paying for something you don’t have. It brings up all of the emotions. I just didn’t want to see it anymore.”
To make sure other parents don’t have to go through the same process, they began Hayden’s Helping Hands in 2011, a non-profit that helps other parents pay for their stillborn deliveries in full.
They said they have since helped cover the cost for 44 families – donating up to $1,000 to families around Oregon and Washington. In total, they have donated more than $40,000 to the cause.
“Initially it probably was started purely out of grief and a desire to make ourselves feel better and honoring [our] daughter who passed away,” Rebekka said. “And it has evolved into much more than that. Through [Hayden’s] existence, we’re able to show families that not only can you get financial help from us but there is a hope or feeling you’re not alone. We understand grief, we understand you have a child, and we’re always going to acknowledge that with you.”
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The Hauskins explained all donations they receive go towards paying bills, and the 10 people behind Hayden’s Helping Hands – mostly friends and family members who offered to help put together the organization – do it on a volunteer basis.
To donate to their cause, visit their website.
