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Founders of nonprofit for grieving parents donate another ‘Cuddle Cot’ to local hospital

Posted at 8:55 PM, Nov 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-20 20:55:18-05

HAMPTON, Va. – On Tuesday, a special dedication ceremony took place at the Sentara CarePlex Hospital Family Maternity Center in Hampton.

The facility dedicated a “Cuddle Cot,” donated by local couple Heather and Demitri Wilson.

Cuddle Cots are devices that gently circulate cooled air around a stillborn baby, or one who dies shortly after birth. This gives parents more time to spend with the baby before decomposition begins to set in.

The couple set up a nonprofit, Kennedy’s Angel Gowns, after their daughter Kennedy was a stillborn in 2009.

Related: Couple donates machines so grieving parents can spend more time with their stillborn children

The nonprofit that creates small white funeral gowns for stillborn babies and helps couples mourn during their time of need. Heather began making the burial gowns out of old wedding dresses.

The foundation’s work has grown through an annual “All White Ball” and a 5K run at Virginia Wesleyan University. They are now purchasing Cuddle Cots for all Sentara hospitals that deliver babies.

The Wilsons previously donated Cuddle Cots to Sentara Princess Anne in October and Sentara Leigh Hospital, which is where Kennedy was born nearly a decade ago.