Creating Your Legacy

Every year, January’s family purchases balloons in our Gift Shop to honor her 26 years of life and boost the spirits of other patients.

Care for the entire family means better care for the patient. And gifts from generous donors, like Jayme Bonar-Bridges, enable us to provide family-centered care that goes above and beyond expectations.

At just 10 days old, Jayme’s daughter, January, became so lethargic that she couldn’t wake or take a bottle. Jayme brought her to Cincinnati Children’s, where she learned that her daughter had suffered irreversible brain damage due to jaundice.  

Throughout her 26 years of life, January remained in our care, with her mom by her side. 

Jayme credits our medical experts for giving her more time with her daughter than she thought possible—and she credits our focus on the family for making their time in the hospital a meaningful experience. 

“We spent more time at Cincinnati Children’s than at home,” Jayme remembers. “January’s nurses brought me food when I didn’t want to leave her side. Her doctors listened to my concerns. They were practicing family-centered care before there was a name for it.”

Inspired by her daughter’s compassionate care team, Jayme established the January Bonar-Bridges Endowed Fund to assist families while their child is receiving care in our gastroenterology program. 

The fund helps families meet day-to-day needs, reducing stress and allowing them to focus on what’s most important—their child’s care. It also makes following treatment plans and getting to appointments easier, resulting in better outcomes for their child. 

January’s brothers, James and Justin, helped their mom make the decision to create the fund. “Kids need their family,” Jayme says. “We all wanted to honor January’s legacy by helping other families be there for their children when they need it most.”