After experiencing the heartbreaking loss of their son Vincent who was stillborn on March 18, 2014, an Imperial couple decided to honor him through a special donation to Heritage Valley Sewickley. Sarah and Nick Nuccetelli initiated a fundraising campaign to purchase a Cuddle Cot for the Maternity Unit at Heritage Valley Sewickley.
A Cuddle Cot is an in-room cooling unit that is the size of a small humidifier disguised inside of a Moses basket. According to Stories of Babies Born Still (S.O.B.B.S) a non-profit dedicated to Stillborn Awareness, the Cuddle Cot allows precious hours for bonding, pictures, plaster molds to be taken and other family members to come and meet the baby before the natural changes that occur in death become more apparent.
“Nick and I are grateful for the time we took to bond with Vincent and that we were encouraged to do so by the nurses,” said Sarah. “While we sincerely hope the Cuddle Cot is never used, we are glad it is here to provide other families that find themselves in this situation with the opportunity to have more time to make a few precious memories with their little one.”
Heritage Valley Sewickley is one of the only hospitals in the area with a Cuddle Cot. The Nuccetelli’s embarked on a fundraising campaign in early November 2016 with the hopes of having the funds in place to make the donation on what would be Vincent’s third birthday, March 18th. They received an overwhelming amount of support from family, friends, their church family and others, raising more than $4,000 for the unit within six weeks.
“We greatly appreciate the donation of the Cuddle Cot to our maternity unit,” said Shelby Matthews, nurse manager, Maternal Child Health at Heritage Valley Sewickley. “We develop close ties to our patients and are happy that we were able to participate in and celebrate the births of Sarah and Nick’s other children.”
The Nuccetelli’s are proud parents of one-year-old daughter, Amelia and seven-week-old son, Paul. “We know their big brother is smiling down upon them,” Sarah added.
Heritage Valley Sewickley holds a Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group that meets the second Monday of every month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, please call 412.749.7625.
Picture Caption: Shelby Matthews, nurse manager, Maternal Child Health at Heritage Valley Sewickley, accepts the donation of a Cuddle Cot by Sarah and Nick Nuccetelli.
About Heritage Valley Health System
Heritage Valley Health System is a $480 million integrated delivery network providing comprehensive health care for residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties, in Pennsylvania; eastern Ohio; and the panhandle of West Virginia. In partnership with 3,500 employees and more than 480 physicians, Heritage Valley offers a broad range of medical, surgical and diagnostic services at its two hospitals, Heritage Valley Sewickley and Heritage Valley Beaver; in 60 physician offices; and 18 community satellite facilities. For more information about Heritage Valley Health System, please visit www.heritagevalley.org.