Stories From Main Street: L.I. Couple Turns Loss Into Mission To Save Others
MANHASSET, NY (WCBS 880) - On July 5, Josh and Stacey Dubrow welcomed their first child into the world, but their joy was short-lived.
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"We had that moment of 'It's a boy!' and we had that moment of joy that every parent gets to enjoy, and then out of the corner of my eye I see the baby was getting some respiratory assistance and a bunch of doctors and some nurses were in a crowd and I knew that something was not normal, but yet they kept our spirits up," said Josh.
Little Jordan Alex Dubrow had meconium, a substance made of materials ingested during time in the uterus, in his lungs and he was struggling to breathe.
"For the next three days, we were watching, waiting, praying, hoping," Josh told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams.
During this trying time, they say the doctors and nurses at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset were extraordinary.
"From the minute I gave birth to Jordan, they were just very caring and very sympathetic and anything I needed, they got it for me. If I needed a hug they gave me a hug," Stacey told Adams. "Never at one point did I ever feel that they weren't doing everything that they needed to be doing for Jordan. I never felt that they were giving up on the situation. They were constantly fighting."
"We did develop this really sincere admiration for the entire staff at the NICU," Josh said.
After a few days, Jordan passed away.
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"We didn't want people sending food and flowers. We felt that the money could be better spent making a donation towards the NICU," Stacey said.
In their darkest hour, Josh and Stacey started the JAD Fund. Their goal is to purchase a blood-gas measurement machine for the neo-natal intensive care unit.
"We knew that our outcome wasn't, obviously, what we wanted. We hope other people can have a much better outcome," she said.
"This is absolutely extraordinary to just think of other people and the future rather than looking over the past," said chief of neonatology Richard Schandler. "Shows you the strength that they had, the strength... to be able to look beyond their tragedy."
"I think it's helped us with the healing process. Instead of focusing on all the bad that happened and the sadness, we felt it all and we still feel it today, but there's a part of us that feels good," said Stacey. "I think it's taken our terrible, devastating experience and given a little bit of a positive twist to it."
To donate to the JAD Fund, visit its website HERE.
Do you have a story about turning tragedy into something good for others? Share it in the comments section below!
