The Heartbreak

Today is October 29th, 2015 and as of this date there has been no explanation or apology as to the biggest issue I, and others, have with the leader of SOBBs, Inc and the US Cuddle Cot Campaign Initiative.

You might notice someone missing from the page, someone who used to be the poster child for the Cuddle Cot, a true "success story" for what "Lori does."

His name was Owen Issac Plunkett.  His mother Amanda has fought to create his legacy from the second she knew he's pass from life to death within her.  SHE approached her hospital to have a Cuddle Cot in place during Owen's birth and her hospital ORDERED and PAID FOR the Cuddle Cot that was used in the three days following his birth.

There is a LOT to this story, but this photo is going to be where we start to unravel.  This is a post made by Lori of the US Cuddle Cot Campaign Initiative on October 12th, 2014 and it has since been removed (as has ALL evidence of Owen) from this page.

I am going to stick to the facts because the emotions start to make me CRAZY.

FACT: As the time this was written, SOBBS was ALREADY in possession of a "loaner cot" and it had ALREADY been offered to Amanda a month before this post.  Get that, in September, Amanda was told there was a cot ready for her should she need it.  I was told October 11 we needed to purchase a loaner immediately for Amanda.  Hmmm....

FACT: Our fundraising team was NOT told about this loaner cot and were told the money we raised was indeed being used to purchase this emergency cot

FACT: Mott hospital already had the Cuddle Cot on order.  SOBBS new cot order would not have arrived any faster than than the TWO units ordered by Mott.  The only way she could get a cot to Amanda before her own hospital would have been to already have one, that she never disclosed.

FACT:  She sent this old unit (blue and white) to Amanda in Michigan, even after being told the hospital had TWO units ready to go for Owen and any other babies that would need them.  It was sent to Amanda "just in case" (of what?  It was an OLD unit.  It was a back up for the brand new ones just purchased by the hospital? WHAT??)  Please note, the photos of the unit that is blue and white is the old unit, the all blue are the new.  

FACT:  This post calls for donations for the "loaner program" AFTER this mother has ALREADY gotten approval and ordering for her Cuddle Cots, so why was she USED to solicit donations for this loaner program?

FACT: When Amanda arrived home from the birth and death of baby Owen pictures of her hospital, clearing showing the brand new units that her hospital purchased were posted on the USCCCI page and advertised as having been used by baby Owen.  There was no "mistake" or "misunderstanding."  After catching up on sleep and answering a million emails from other loss parents, Amanda started to understand what had happened and knowing so many parents were involved in getting her the "loaner cot"and had to make the very  hard decision to let us know that all that was posted was indeed, a fabrication.  A publicity stunt that bore no truth other than an old unit was shipped to her house and sat in a box, then shipped back.  What she saw as a goodwill gesture, and ODD goodwill gesture, she realized was used as a way to ask for donations for the USCCCI and to use her son as an advertisement for the cot.  The cot SHE GOT PLACED ALL BY HERSELF.

FACT:  Lori has never admitted to me, or my fundraising team, that she already had a loaner cot of that the cot used at Owen's Birth was NOT her old unit.  Further, there has been no acknowledgement that Amanda fought for and got her hospital to purchase two units, nor has their been a public thank you to Mott for moving so quickly to have one available for Owen's birth.  

Who got all the credit publicly?  SOBBS. 

Our question is this?  Why ask for donations for this "emergency cot" knowing you ALREADY HAD ONE?  The one YOU SENT.  How many donations did you use baby Owen to get?  Did those donations go to Amanda for the placement of a cot with the "matching funds" program?

And the last question: HOW COULD YOU?  How could you use one mother's years old grief and willingness to turn over every single dime she raised for this beautiful cause knowing you were LYING to her?  How could you use a mother getting ready to have her baby die FOR PUBLICITY?  That is all you have done and our reward for supporting you?  We have BOTH been kicked out of SOBBS, blocked from contacting you and you have said you don't NEED to talk to either of us.  REALLY?

So much in care, concern and in the name of healing (Oh yeah you changed that little tagline huh?  Blog with that title hit a little too close to home eh?

We want answers.  We want an apology and we want you to understand how absolutely DISGUSTING this was.  It doesn't matter what good you are doing, if you have to shatter loss parents for your mission you are a seriously flawed individual that needs to step down, get some help and stop preying on innocent people with pure hearts.

A year later and nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

Unacceptable.