When, 4 years ago, Sarah Pulley was rushed to the hospital at 27 weeks pregnant, she had no idea she would be leaving the hospital without being pregnant anymore.
The woman had to undergo an emergency c-section, and her little baby, once out of the womb, was taken to the NICU in hopes that she would make it.
“Her lungs were exxtremely fragile,” Pulley told WTHR, “she was 1 pound 11 ounces when she was born, and there’s actually a photo, she was the size of my husband’s hand, which is just unreal.”
The family spent more than 4 months in the hospital with their daughter being in the NICU, hoping that she would soon be released and join them at home.
Indeed, after more than 120 days in the hospital, they took their baby home and a whole new chapter started in their life.
Baby Amelia who came into this world in a traumatic way, is now four and full of life and joy. She also has a younger brother, who is now two years old.
Sarah, having been through the NICU experience, knows exactly how parents of hospitalized newborns feel, and she’s always wanted to do something to make them feel better.
A while ago, the time came for Sarah’s dream to come true, when she found out Riley Children’s Health would be opening a hair salon inside the hospital.
“I knew this could be special,” she told TODAY.
Pulley, a hair stylist herself, donated a chair from her hair salon, along with some hair styling products that she got as a donation from her distributor, and, of course, her services.
Sarah shows up at the hospital’s hair salon to give NICU moms and dads a nice scalp massage, washes and blow dries the hair of exhausted parents who just need a break from what they are going through.
Having had this kind of experience before, she knows exactly how the parents feel and she goes above and beyond to lift up their spirits even if it is for only a few minutes.
“You completely lose all sense of yourself when you have a baby in the NICU,” she recalled. “My first mom completely relaxed in the chair; she just closed her eyes and breathed. My second was completely exhausted.”
As she admits, volunteering to help these people out is not only beneficial for them, but for her, as well.
She wouldn’t change this special connection she has with moms going through the NICU experience, and she just feels better when she can empower them and give them hope.
“There is hope in my story because my daughter is thriving,” said Pulley. “We made it.”
And this is exactly the message that she wants to pass on to the parents visiting her hair salon. That no matter what obstacles come their way, they will make it, too.
Watch Pulley talk about opening this special hair salon in the video below.
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