Parents of children who have had a life-threatening illness or injury find purpose, hope and healing within both formal and informal support systems. Parents relinquish some of their care giving to health care professionals, reframe their role, and then find equilibrium within the supportive partnership of health care professionals. New meaning and connection to their child emerges from these experiences, and subsequently defines a deeper relationship between parents. Spirituality bonds the experience with the medical team, and jointly gives meaning to parents’ hope and the miracle of recovery.
Within the continuum of time, parents seek support throughout this life-changing event. Initially, this progression appears to be insular in nature as parents seek to find meaning from their experience. Eventually, as they become more knowledgeable, familiar, and connected to the medical professionals, their support systems become more extensive. Krissy’s Kuddle is a collaborative network of parents, professionals, and community resources designed to link families to an embracing and reassuring transition through their child’s medical crisis. Our purpose is to join with families on their journey through this life-changing event by providing encouragement and hope, decreasing feelings of isolation, reducing anxiety and stress, and increasing coping skills. Recognizing each family as a unique system, our goals will be adapted and expanded according to each family’s specific needs, subsequently enhancing their child’s health. More specifically, our goals are to
- Provide social and emotional support
- Identify and increase available resources for each family
- Provide educational information
- Connect families with their spiritual and/or cultural identities
- Assist families in hurdling the barriers that obstruct them from achieving these goals.
The vision for Krissy’s Kuddle will begin within Hillsborough County and gradually expand to include other counties in Florida, eventually reaching to communities nationally and internationally.
