Inspiring hope in times of uncertainty 

When Leigh Ann Siener found out that she was pregnant with twins, she was overjoyed and felt she knew what to expect after a healthy pregnancy with her daughter, Charli. When two days before Christmas, Leigh Ann was rushed to her local hospital for an emergency c-section at only 25 weeks gestation, she and her husband, Jason, began a journey that has continued to shape their lives years later.

At that time, neonatal intensive care was not available in the area, and while Leigh Ann was still recovering from surgery, her twin boys, Kip and Kase, were airlifted to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

“I remained in Paducah in a hospital bed, while Jason drove two hours and made numerous decisions on the boys’ behalf alone, while we also had a three-year-old daughter at home,” she said. “The stress that was unexpectedly thrust upon our family is still something that I can vividly recall.”

Seventeen years later, Leigh Ann is still processing the raw emotions that resulted from the sudden change in their lives. “Anyone who has experienced NICU life, whether it is one day or 109 like us, knows the unbelievable heartache of a sick newborn. What is supposed to be one of the most beautiful days of your life turns into one of the worst nightmares imaginable. There is no holding your baby and snuggling, instead, you are praying to hear they are alive and that one day you will get to hold them as a healthy infant.”

Leigh Ann recalls the financial and emotional burden that resulted from having to travel to see her children placed on her family. When Baptist Health Paducah announced the opening of a NICU, she knew that her family wanted to find a way to help other families walking similar paths.

When Baptist Health Paducah expanded the John and Loree Ecsktein NICU in 2017, the Seiners were glad to support that project, which led to a unique and meaningful partnership opportunity – The Siener Family Wall of Hope. “For those of us who have entered those doors, we know the weight they we carry as we enter each day. Will there be more tubes, more beeping monitors, more tests, more bad news? The wall offers a huge source of encouragement for family members and medical staff. Multiple times a year, different families are highlighted on the wall with their NICU stories. As a person walks down the hallway, there is a good chance there is a family on the wall that survived the experience that he or she is currently experiencing with his or her infant. It provides a boost of encouragement and hope that they too can survive.”

Leigh Ann felt the Lord laying an additional need on her heart. As she would pray, she kept seeing the faces of mothers and fathers not able to stay with their babies as they were needing specialized care. She thought of all the babies that were alone in their incubators not being cuddled due to parents unable to afford lodging or the fuel to make a daily commute, and through those thoughts, the Parents with Hope Fund was born.

The Parents with Hope Fund provides hotel stays, meals and gas vouchers to support local NICU families who need assistance to give their children the level of support they need during their hospitalization. Since its inception, the Parents with Hope Fund has supported numerous families in western Kentucky.

“Our community has come together to donate thousands of dollars to enable families to stay together as a unit,” she said. “Together, we are doing our part to sustain the growth of local healthcare and make certain those all around us have access to the medical care they deserve. God has taken a sad and overwhelming time in our life and made it a beautiful story of healing and hope, and now we want to serve others through His love and blessing.”