Rebekka and Randy Hauskins were inspired to begin their non-profit after they lost their own daughter at 32 weeks gestation.
An Oregon couple is coping with the loss of their own pregnancy by paying off hospital bills for families who have stillborn babies.
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.”
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.
