Moms helping moms: First donor shares story of why she supported the new Breast Milk Donation Program at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital
Thank you to Grace Kennedy for her incredibly generous donation of 4 HUGE bags of frozen breast milk to our new Breast Milk Donation Program at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital!
Thank you to Grace Kennedy for her incredibly generous donation of 4 HUGE bags of frozen breast milk to our new Breast Milk Donation Program at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital! Grace, her fiancé Jeremy and son Bentley dropped off their donation on Tuesday, officially becoming our program’s first donation since our announcement last week. Grace and Jeremy’s son Bentley spent 60 days in the HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) last May, where he received donor milk as part of his treatment. Now, Bentley is almost 16 pounds and ready to celebrate his first birthday in a few months! Grace is excited that her donation will help other NICU babies and moms in need across the state of Florida.
“Going through the NICU experience opened my eyes to this need, so when the program came about, I thought it would be a great idea to help if I could,” said Grace Kennedy, first donor for the HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Breast Milk Donation Program. “I realize that having an oversupply of milk is a gift, and I want to help other moms who may be struggling, just as I did in the beginning. I hope my donation inspires other moms to give if they can.”
Eligible breast milk donors are healthy women who produce more milk than needed to feed their own infants. Those interested in donating their breast milk should follow these steps to become an approved donor:
- Call the Mothers' Milk Bank of Florida at (407) 248-5050 for a short telephone interview.
- Complete a secure online health questionnaire.
- Give the Mother’s Milk Bank of Florida permission to contact healthcare providers.
- Complete a free blood screening.
- Drop off frozen breast milk at the HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Breast Milk Donation Program, located in the North Florida Medical Arts Building: 6400 W Newberry Road, Suite 107, Gainesville, FL 32605.
The HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Breast Milk Donation Program is open for breast milk donation drop offs on Wednesdays from 2:00pm -5:00pm, Thursdays from 9:00am - 12:00pm, and Fridays from 9:00am - 12:00pm. Those interested can call (352) 333-5314 or (352) 333-5327 with additional questions.