Butterfly Room (The Georgia Project)

Georgia’s Story

The unimaginable happened on Nov. 30, 2021, for parents Sarah and Rob Chaney. Their unborn daughter, Georgia Rae, was due in just five days. After noticing a decrease in Georgia’s movement, Sarah was evaluated at Miami Valley Hospital where she learned the news that Georgia had passed away while still in the womb.

Georgia entered the world sleeping on Dec. 2, 2021, at Miami Valley Hospital. The Chaneys found themselves grieving the loss of their daughter next to the sounds of women laboring healthy babies and families celebrating. After being home for a few months, Sarah learned of a bereavement room at a Texas hospital that supports Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) parents who are facing the end of their child’s life. After talking with a friend who is a social worker at Miami Valley Hospital, the Chaney family made it their mission to make the Butterfly Room a reality for grieving parents in the Miami Valley.

 

The Butterfly Room

In partnership with the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, the Butterfly Room will be located steps away from the NICU at Miami Valley Hospital and will provide a space of comfort for parents and families facing the terminal diagnosis of their infant.

The Butterfly Room will provide a comforting environment that will offer families the gift of time to connect and create a lifetime of memories with their baby. The room will include a crib, an armoire filled with baby clothes, a baby bath for parents to bathe their child, comfortable seating, baby and educational books, and valuable support resources for families. This home-like space will give families the comfort and peace needed to navigate the loss of their baby.

 

How You Can Help

To learn more about the Butterfly Room project, please contact Anne McDevitt, director of development at Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, at ammcdevitt@premierhealth.com or call (937) 208-2700. To make a donation in support of the Butterfly Room, click the donate button below.