The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation
Financial Assistance. Education. Advocacy.
Our mission is to improve outcomes of pregnancy, childbirth, prematurity, and infancy as well as aid in the grieving process through financial assistance, education, and advocacy.
Giving the Gift of Time
Our financial assistance program helps families get to prenatal programs, to the NICU, and to grieve. This support gives families time, time to take care of themselves and time to spend with their families.
Taking an Active Role
Our financial assistance program allows pregnant people to follow medical recommendations and orders as well as for parents to be present and actively participating in their child's care.
Making a Difference
Our advocacy work challenges the status quo as we work to gather more data, increase research dollars, institute programs and laws to help make systemic challenges that help all families.
Breaking Taboos
Through our educational programs, we are taking issues out from behind closed doors and talking and educating about topics related to infertility, pregnancy, loss, perinatal health, parenting, and more.
The Problems
- About 1 in 5 pregnancies involve some form of activity restriction, such as bed rest
- About 30% of pregnant women are advised to limit physical activity during pregnancy, even if they aren’t put on full bed rest.
- Studies suggest that only 50-60% of bed rest orders are strictly followed by patients
- 60% of women placed on activity restrictions report moderate compliance, adjusting their daily routines but not completely stopping activities
- Families with a NICU baby can experience a 20-30% reduction in household income due to lost wages and increased medical costs
- More than 70% of families with a NICU baby report that the stay caused financial strain
- Parents of NICU babies are 50% more likely to experience long-term financial stress due to medical bills and follow-up care
- Approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage
- Stillbirth affects 1 in 160 pregnancies in the U.S., with about 24,000 stillbirths annually
- Pregnancy loss can lead to a 15-20% reduction in household income, primarily due to medical costs and unpaid leave
- Approximately 30% of families with pregnancy or infant loss report difficulty paying medical bills, resulting in an increased likelihood of bankruptcy
- Families who suffer pregnancy loss are 50% more likely to experience long-term financial strain, including debt and housing insecurity.
Families Are Hurting
- Our average family is at 117% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
- On average, our families are experiencing a decrease of $8,000 in income from the previous year
- Families on average have a 93-mile one-way trip to visit their baby
- Families who are seeking help are carrying a debt of $2,800
- Our average family has a 101 day stay in the NICU
Solutions and Outcomes
- Financial assistance to help pregnant persons get to prenatal visits
- Financial assistance to help pregnant persons to follow medical guidelines and orders
- Financial assistance to allow parents to visit their babies
- Financial assistance so that postpartum parents can recover
- Financial assistance so parents who lose a baby can afford funeral expenses
- Financial assistance so parents can grieve
- Over 80% of our families report that the help they received either had a significant impact or was life-changing
Financial Assistance
We provide financial assistance to families dealing with high-risk or complicated pregnancies, NICU stays, or loss
For further information or to apply, please visit our Get Help pages.
We need YOU
We are proud of what we have accomplished, but the need is far greater than our current capacity. That's where you come in. You can help more families in crisis through your donation to The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation.
100% of your donation goes directly to financially assisting families.
Our Leadership Team
Michelle Valiukenas, Colette's Mom, Executive Director, and Co-Founder
Michelle Valiukenas is a mom, storyteller, and advocate. Her three kids are Sweet Pea, who was lost to miscarriage, her angel daughter, Colette Louise, who graced their lives for nine precious days before getting her angel wings, as well as her only living child, Elliott Miguel.Michelle is a self-described recovering attorney, graduating from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (formerly The John Marshall Law School) in 2006. She worked in nonprofits, representing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in orders against their abusers and assailants, as well as in family law matters such as divorce and custody. After loving the work in nonprofits, Michelle went back to school for a master’s degree in nonprofit management where she met Mark, her husband. She spent the last two and half years of her career before the birth of her daughter Colette in an administrative role where she supervised non-attorney advocates and worked on institutional change.
In the wake of their journey with Colette, Michelle and Mark embarked on a mission close to their hearts. They established The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the outcomes of pregnancy, childbirth, prematurity, and infancy, and aiding in the grieving process. The foundation does this through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. At the heart of their initiatives is the flagship program offers financial aid to families navigating high-risk and complicated pregnancies, challenging NICU stays, and loss. The foundation's impactful work is sustained by the generosity of donations and grants, and any support is warmly welcomed.
Michelle is a writer, speaker, and presenter, sharing her personal story and addressing various topics such as infertility, pregnancy loss, complications, preterm birth, NICU experiences, infant loss, pregnancy after loss, surrogacy, and parenting after loss. Michelle believes in the power of stories and education to remove the stigma, start the conversation, and impact change. She calls herself the “taboo topics lady,” for her work on shining a spotlight on these often controversial issues. Michelle also actively engages in advocating for issues related to maternal health, maternal mortality, infant health and safety, and pregnancy complications. These activities reflect Michelle’s deep commitment to equal access and treatment of all families.
Residing in Glenview, Illinois, Michelle shares her home with her son Elliott and her husband Mark. Michelle strives to create a world where every choice is supported, every parent and family is supported, and every family empowered.