What started out as an ordinary day with my 20-month-old baby girl transpired into the most horrifying experience of my life. However, my experience has inspired me to give back in a unique and meaningful way.

My sweet girl was eating a snack, and I picked her up to move her. For some reason, she got upset and cried so hard that, unbeknownst to me, she aspirated some of her food into one of her lungs and blocked it from receiving air. She coughed excessively at first and eventually seemed fine. But she wasn’t. Not even close.

The next morning, my concerns led me to take her to the Immediate Care Center which sent her straight to the ER. The ER immediately sent her to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). 

I watched as she fought for her life from this freak accident.

I watched as teams of medical professionals did all they could to help her survive. 

I watched as she transitioned from the ventilator (life support) to the bi-pap machine, and eventually to the nasal cannula to help her breathe. 

Our experience in the PICU taught me this invaluable lesson from Dr. Seuss, “Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” My baby girl’s experience in the hospital was full of moments that kept me going. My heart was hurting too badly to realize the power of each moment until I was able to reflect on them later. 

This first moment was the most impactful because it was the first sign of improvement for my Mama heart, and it felt like it took an eternity to experience it. When she was finally alert enough to whisper, “Mama,” for the first time in the hospital, it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. It gave me hope. Hope that she was improving, would survive, and would come home.  

Then, she ate a tiny bit. Hope. 

She gave a weak laugh when the banana got stuck to my finger. Hope.

She started to get restless and began to gently and quietly play. Hope. 

In those moments, I clung to each one of them like a lifeline, believing each small sign of progress was proof she could survive. It seemed like my dream of our family of four being together at home could actually come true.

Those tiny moments kept me from completely falling apart. It’s the little moments in life that matter most and sometimes our world has to crumble to remind us of this. 

It’s one thing to personally suffer, but watching my sweet baby suffer was agonizing. My helplessness was eased by the glimmers of hope and the moments of reassurance from the medical team each time she become stabilized.  Though I will never be able to take away the pain my daughter went through, I have been able to find a way to give other children a sense of comfort and courage during their own difficult moments. Recently, I have had the opportunity to be a glimmer of hope for the children and their loved ones at AdventHealth Hospitals in Tampa, Florida and at the PICU where my daughter’s life was saved. I am the author of The Little Shot picture book series which I wrote for my older daughter when she was a baby to teach her how to handle life, develop character values, and to dream big. As a former classroom teacher, I know other children need these books which is why I chose to have them published through Ground Truth Press.

A couple generous underwriters have made significant donations of my first picture book, The Little Shot: Courage, to some hospitals. The books have been distributed through AdventHealth and given directly to children at the hospitals where donations have been made. In Tampa, some of the books are given when children are administered mildly invasive treatments. The book they receive provides a welcome and needed distraction during treatment and gives ongoing encouragement each time the child reads it.

According to McKenzie Doll, the Executive Director of AdventHealth Hospitals Foundation, “The hospital can be a scary place, especially for children, so we are delighted to have The Little Shot books within our pediatric department at AdventHealth! These books offer our little patients a safe, comforting distraction while receiving the medical care they need. Little Shot’s story is so engaging and the illustrations are so beautiful, which helps our patient’s anxiety and makes the hospital feel less intimidating. We adore the stories, and they are the biggest blessing to not only our patients, but also our nursing team!”

Knowing my books can offer children even a moment of comfort fills my heart with gratitude. Like my daughter’s journey, transitioning from life support to the desire to play is a huge milestone. In those moments, my books can be part of the hope families need to believe things will get better. Children with chronic health issues can continue reading their book to remind themselves of their courage and strength, while inspiring them to keep dreaming big. Dreaming big isn’t always about changing the world. It can be about winning a personal battle. Sometimes children’s battles are bigger than anyone can comprehend. There are times that the only thing families can cling to is hope. It’s often the small things that bring strength and courage to keep fighting.

In a world full of uncontrollable factors and incomprehensible experiences, we all have the power to uplift others and serve as a light in the darkness. The Little Shot series is meant to do just that. After my daughter’s life-threatening experience, I am inspired to share my book series with as many children’s hospitals as possible. I am humbled and honored to be part of something that brings comfort, encouragement, and smiles to children and families during challenging times. 

As I reflect on my daughter’s life changing journey, I understand more than ever how crucial hope can be during a crisis. This is why I’m committed to using my books as a tool to inspire strength and courage in children, helping them find the resilience they need to face their own challenges.

On the cover of each book in the The Little Shot series there is a girl with a red balloon. This balloon symbolizes hope. Little Shot’s courage gives the little girl the belief that she can live courageously, too. As Napoleon once said, “Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.” When we embrace courage, we not only nourish ourselves, but we also offer encouragement to those around us. Together, we can make a difference by being a living example of that red balloon—spreading hope and inspiring others to do the same.