I grew up in the age of Hillary Clinton as first lady who spoke a lot about "It Takes a Village." I remember hearing it at a young age, but not really understanding it. The last few years have really taught me about just how important your village is. It took a village when I got hospitalized when pregnant--people to stay with me, to come by and brighten my day, people to text me, call me, and otherwise keep me occupied, people who brought and sent flowers, my mom who showed up Saturday mornings to spend the day with me so that Mark could go into work and get caught up on everything (or close to it) that he missed during the week. After Colette was born, the village shifted a bit and whether it was the nurses who helped me to and from the bathroom as I was recovering from my c-section, my mom who tried to take me to dinner and then came outside to hold my hair back as I vomited (yet another after effect of surgery), the guy who saw me getting sick and stopped to ask if I was okay, For Colette, it was the village of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and everyone else who were fighting to keep Colette alive and thriving. It was Colette's grandma who showed up with a stack of books and sat next to Colette and read to her. It was the lactation specialist who came by to help me pump. Then, after Colette gained her angel wings, it became a community of love and support that surrounded us and supported us, and continue to do so. Raising a deceased child is difficult. I say raising because we still have to protect her, to make sure we are doing everything so that her name and memory are kept alive. We struggle constantly to continue making sure she is still considered our daughter and we are still parents. It's not easy when people cannot see her and then dismiss her presence, but parenting is not easy and it does take a village to keep her ever present. But, what has most amazed me is the village of supporters we found here. Because of you, 216 families who were in crisis because of pregnancy risks and complications, premature birth/NICU stays, or loss had financial stress and pressure taken off of them through The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation. This has meant that 216 families were able to at least one of the following things: (1) memoralize their angel baby; (2) have an easier pregnancy or be better taken care of during pregnancy; or (3) see their child in the NICU more often. None of this incredible work would have been done without YOU! It's so heartwarming and amazing to feel like Colette has a village behind her, a village so willing to help families in her name. Thank you for your continued support! Michelle