Madison’s Closet is a new program for moms who have suffered the loss of their infant. Moms may have a special item of clothing, a blanket, photos or a letter that she would like to send to infants orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa. As an additional service to our Madison Moms, we facilitate the donation of these special items to Africa. Learn More
|
|
What is the Madison Cassady Program?
When a mother loses her baby in the critical care unit, she often has breast milk in her freezer. The gift of giving this donation of life through our Madison Cassady Program can be emotionally healing and fulfilling to both the grieving mother and life saving to the receiving baby. The donation may serve as a special way for a mom to honor the memory of her baby.
Our team is standing by to help answer questions along the way. Contact us now by calling 866-930-8220 and ask for Robin, email robin@breastmilkproject.org, or view our entire Madison team’s contact information here.
Two Ways to Donate Milk
There are two ways breast milk can be donated through this program: 1) Mother qualifies as a donor, allowing the milk to process for use by other babies, and, 2) Mother does not go through qualification process. Regardless of what option the Madison Mom chooses, all supplies and shipping costs are paid for by the program. For the convenience and comfort of the mother, the phlebotomist will go to her home. We ship FedEx Ground for outgoing shipments and will supply a pre-paid FedEx Standard Overnight return label to bring the milk into the Bank.
The mother can be assured that the breast milk donation she is making will make a difference whichever method she feels comfortable using.
- Milk becomes qualified for use as a nutritional product:
Moms who have suffered the loss of their infant may have milk that they would like to donate to babies orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa. We take special care to accommodate each Madison mom based on her individual needs and situation. Madison Moms wanting to donate to our US Milk to Africa program will have to follow the same application process and guidelines as other donors. This process can take 6 weeks from the date of application. We have special coordinators standing by to assist Madison Moms through this process. For a better understanding of the US Milk for Africa donation process, please view our milk donation flow chart and read our FAQs.
- Qualification process takes approximately 6 weeks
- The donor will need to fill out an on-line Interview at www.breastmilkproject.org, click on donate now, International Breast Milk Bank (Africa) milk bank site and complete interview questions. If the donor does not have access to a computer, she should contact the IBMP Bank at 866-930-8220, to request a hard copy manual interview form. Interviews should be completed by the donor only.
- Interview is reviewed. If there is nothing that would cause a disqualification, i.e. certain medications, a short Request for Patient Medical Information form will be sent to the mother for her doctor is to complete.
- Once this form is received back at IBMP Bank, and all is well, a donor test kit is sent via FedEx Ground to the mother and arrangements for a phlebotomist to perform a blood test are made. The kit also contains a donor DNA collector swab which the mother will perform.
- Approximately 3 weeks later, when both the blood work results and the donor ID results are received, we will be able to accept the milk to be prepared for use by babies in Africa and critically ill infants in the US.
- If a mother chooses not to go through the entire qualification process, we may be able to accept the milk for research purposes.
This option is for moms who may not want to go through the traditional donation process due to stress or other situations. This milk will be used for medical research. All of the costs associated with this milk donation will be covered by our organization. This program provides an option for Madison Moms who may be on medications that would not otherwise allow them to donate to our US Milk to Africa program. Milk for research slots are reserved for Madison Moms who are grieving and do not want to throw away their milk but do not want to go through the entire donation process.
- Process takes 1-3 weeks, depending on if Madison Mom has had blood work done in last 4 months.
- Madison Mom must fill out 10 minute online application for consent and confidentiality.
- Madison Mom’s physician must fax copies of blood work (less than 4 months old) to International Breast Milk Project Bank, c/o Robin at 866-520-9703 or Madison Mom must be willing to allow us to send a technician to her home to get new blood draw.
- If Madison Mom does not have blood work less than 4 months old from date of application, for the convenience and comfort of the mother, a technician to draw blood will go to her home.
- Do I have to pay for anything? No. We cover the cost of everything.
Madison’s Closet
In addition to helping a mom to donate milk, we provide the additional service of helping Madison Moms to donate special items to infants orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa.. A donor mom might want to send a few special items of clothing or blankets to the babies in Africa as a means of healing. Moms also may choose to write a letter, a card and/or send photos.
Packages may be shipped to:
International Breast Milk Project
c/o Madison Cassady Program
2600 14th Avenue NW
Rochester, MN 55901
We will send Madison’s Closet items 2-4 times per year and also send along with volunteers visiting Africa. If possible, prior to sending the items, please email us to let us know they are on the way. If you need help with the cost of shipping the items within the US, please let us know and arrangements can be made. You can email jill@breastmilkproject.org.
How Nurses, Lactation Consultants, and Other Medical Professionals Can Help
We are currently working on updating our downloadable brochure and flyer for medical professionals, hospitals, and nurses to print for Madison Moms. The Madison Program is designed to take the work off of the nurses and medical staff facilitating milk donations. Our coordinators are happy to provide in-services and conference calls for your staff to answer any FAQs. We are also available to help hospitals set up systematic approaches to aid grieving moms with their donor milk. If you would like more information on how to get your hospital involved or to set up an in-service for your department, please email jill@breastmilkproject.org or call 507-261-3221.
Because we ship coolers directly to the Madison Mom’s home, we encourage nurses to help donors store their milk at home when possible. This also helps hospitals from storing donor milk for long periods of time.
We are always looking for feedback from NICU nurses and physicians on how we can better serve Madison Moms.
Madison Program FAQs
Is there a place on the application to indicate that I am a Madison Mom?
Yes, make sure and check the box on the application that you have suffered a fetal demise. Also, please email robin@breastmilkproject.org and copy lori@breastmilkproject.org on the email to let us know about your specific needs and situation.
Do I have to be a Madison Mom to donate blankets or clothing to Africa?
At this point, we would first like to fill our allotted shipping space with items from Madison Moms (moms who have suffered the loss of an infant). If we have additional space, we will put an announcement on our website.
Is there a number I can call for more information?
For application and milk donation questions, call Robin at 1-866-930-8220. You can also call our Program Coordinator, Lori Aragona at 480-275-7217.
If my milk is used for research, will any of it still go to Africa?
No. It will all be used for scientific and medical research and will not be in any final product for babies.
How long does the process take?
The Expedited Milk Donation Process generally takes around 1-2 weeks if blood work is already provided.
If I am a Madison Mom and I was on medications while I pumped milk, can I still donate?
Yes. Our Expedited Donation Program provides an option for Madison Moms who may be on medications that would not otherwise allow them to donate to our US Milk to Africa program.
If I am not a Madison Mom, can I still donate my milk for research if I am on medications that would not allow me to donate to Africa?
We are not accepting any milk from non-Madison Moms for research at this time. These slots are being reserved so that we can best serve moms who are grieving and do not want to throw away their milk. If we are in need of research milk, we will post an announcement on our website.
What are some examples of research that would be done on my milk?
At this time, the milk will be studied by researchers at Prolacta Bioscience on the effects of pasteurization techniques on IgA and other proteins and antibodies that are important in helping infants thrive. Other research opportunities may come open with universities in the field of breast cancer and other cancer research.
Do I have to pay for anything?
No. We cover the cost of everything.
Madison Contact Information
Robin Gaylord: Milk Bank Coordinator
Contact for questions regarding application, donor numbers, blood draw, medical questions.
robin@breastmilkproject.org
Lori Aragona: Madison Program Coordinator, 480-275-7217
Contact for questions regarding volunteering, program coordination within a hospital, donor support.
lori@breastmilkproject.org
Geny Cassady: Madison Cassady’s Mom and Madison Program Founder
Contact for donor support and general questions.
geny@breastmilkproject.org
Jill Youse: Founder, International Breast Milk Project
Contact for general questions, support, Madison’s Closet, and to provide program feedback.
jill@breastmilkproject.org
About Madison
 |
|
Madison Cassady was born on November 18, 2005 with a congenital heart defect.
From the time Madison was born her Mom was pumping everyday, around the clock, to build up her milk supply so Madison would get the best food when the time came. Her freezer at home was full of breastmilk. She even rented a hospital grade pump to have at home, determined to give Maddie the best chance.
Madison died on December 3, 2005. Madison's mom was left with a freezer full of milk and a broken heart that couldn't face throwing it away. She was told that donating the milk was not really an option by the hospital so finally her husband threw it out when she wasn't home. In honor of Madison, this program was started to help mothers who have lost their babies to donate their precious milk.
|
|
