Premature Infant Awareness Book
Donation protected
In January of 2014, a friend of mine (Michele, a mother to a premature baby girl) suggested that I share my artwork on a facebook group for premature infants (I draw pencil portraits from photographs).
I followed her advice, asking for people to submit photographs of their preemies, so that I could select one picture out of the submissions to draw free of charge.
My plans changed quickly when I started seeing all of the photos piling in. Each photo was so precious and touched my heart deeply. I couldn't bear to say "no" to any of them.
I contemplated drawing 12 photos, and using them to create a calendar to promote premature awareness. However, that changed as I kept seeing more pictures, and eventually I decided that I would draw the first 50 submissions absolutely free of charge.
I received so many emails requesting a portrait that month, that I ended up offering a significant discount on any remaining people who wanted their baby drawn, with the requirement that they would give me permission to use their drawing in the book. I ended up drawing about 160 premature babies in total in the year 2014!
As I drew these portraits, I decided that it would be a great idea to try to bring awareness to these sweet babies and what they go through, by including a story from the mothers about their NICU experience to accompany each drawing, in a book. So I contacted the mothers individually, and ended up receiving almost 100 stories back!
With the help of a talented friend who is also an editor (Brittany), I have been spending the last several months compiling the stories for the book, while Brittany has been editing them and contacting the mothers for approval on her edits. She has been such a fantastic help!
We are getting very close to wrapping up all of our work (within the next couple of months), but my only problem is needing funding for this book. I plan to self publish, and the cost will be about $5,000 for 500 copies.
I am hoping that I can raise this money through this site, because it would be such a blessing to be able to have this book available before the end of the year! If you can help with even just a small donation, it would mean the world to me!
(Above: My book cover, which features 3 children born premature, with the portraits of them as babies in the NICU)
My hopes for this book are that it:
1.) Brings awareness to premature birth and all of the hardships that preemies (and their parents) face.
2.) Shows how valuable and precious babies are, even at such an early stage of life.
4.) Brings hope and encouragement to other parents who are going through time with their little one in the NICU, with no idea of what to expect.
5.) Provides comfort to those who have lost a child due to prematurity. (There will be a few stories of loss in the book as well).
6.) Provides resources where parents can find more information and become involved in the communities around them that have faced similar experiences.
Thank you so much for reading about my book project! Please share this with as many friends as you can! :)
I followed her advice, asking for people to submit photographs of their preemies, so that I could select one picture out of the submissions to draw free of charge.
My plans changed quickly when I started seeing all of the photos piling in. Each photo was so precious and touched my heart deeply. I couldn't bear to say "no" to any of them.
I contemplated drawing 12 photos, and using them to create a calendar to promote premature awareness. However, that changed as I kept seeing more pictures, and eventually I decided that I would draw the first 50 submissions absolutely free of charge.
I received so many emails requesting a portrait that month, that I ended up offering a significant discount on any remaining people who wanted their baby drawn, with the requirement that they would give me permission to use their drawing in the book. I ended up drawing about 160 premature babies in total in the year 2014!
As I drew these portraits, I decided that it would be a great idea to try to bring awareness to these sweet babies and what they go through, by including a story from the mothers about their NICU experience to accompany each drawing, in a book. So I contacted the mothers individually, and ended up receiving almost 100 stories back!
With the help of a talented friend who is also an editor (Brittany), I have been spending the last several months compiling the stories for the book, while Brittany has been editing them and contacting the mothers for approval on her edits. She has been such a fantastic help!
We are getting very close to wrapping up all of our work (within the next couple of months), but my only problem is needing funding for this book. I plan to self publish, and the cost will be about $5,000 for 500 copies.
I am hoping that I can raise this money through this site, because it would be such a blessing to be able to have this book available before the end of the year! If you can help with even just a small donation, it would mean the world to me!
(Above: My book cover, which features 3 children born premature, with the portraits of them as babies in the NICU)
My hopes for this book are that it:
1.) Brings awareness to premature birth and all of the hardships that preemies (and their parents) face.
2.) Shows how valuable and precious babies are, even at such an early stage of life.
4.) Brings hope and encouragement to other parents who are going through time with their little one in the NICU, with no idea of what to expect.
5.) Provides comfort to those who have lost a child due to prematurity. (There will be a few stories of loss in the book as well).
6.) Provides resources where parents can find more information and become involved in the communities around them that have faced similar experiences.
Thank you so much for reading about my book project! Please share this with as many friends as you can! :)
Organizer
Bethany Kerr
Organizer
Cullman, AL