Your compassionate care inspires families to give back
If you’re a provider at Cincinnati Children’s, you know from experience that care for the entire family is essential to improving outcomes for patients—especially those who have stays in the hospital.
For a mother like Jayme Bonar-Bridges, our family-centered approach is what helped her through the loss of her daughter and inspired her to give back.
At just 10 days old, Jayme’s daughter, January, became so lethargic that she was unable to be woken up or take a bottle. Jayme brought her to Cincinnati Children’s, where she learned that January had suffered irreversible brain damage due to jaundice and would need life-long complex treatment.
Throughout her 26 years of life, January remained in our care with Jayme 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.”
Moved by her daughter’s compassionate medical team, Jayme established the January Bonar-Bridges Endowed Fund to assist families while their child is receiving care in our gastroenterology program. It goes toward things like transportation, housing and assistance related to parents missing work.
The fund helps families meet day-to-day needs, reducing stress and allowing them to focus on treatment. It also supports adherence to treatment plans and follow-up appointments—resulting in better outcomes for their child.
Each year on January’s birthday, her family purchases balloons from our Gift Shop to brighten the patients’ day. January’s brothers, James and Justin, helped Jayme 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.”
To learn more about gift planning, or if you’ve already included Cincinnati Children’s in your will, please contact Suzanne Rohlfs, JD, at 513-636-1192 or suzanne.rohlfs@cchmc.org.
