Owlet Cares Spotlight On: Just In Case Foundation

Owlet's mission is to empower parents to give care at home.

Owlet Cares supports our overall mission through advocacy, charitable and research initiatives that support families and communities. We partner with nonprofits all over the world who share our mission. These groups participate in our 2:1 match program. When they purchase one Owlet product, we match it with two meaning three families are reached.

Each month, we shine a spotlight on one of our foundation partners and the important work they are doing. This month, we’d like to introduce you to the Just In Case Foundation of Indiana. In the founder Kayla Borton’s words, here is their story:

I have heard that when a baby is born and placed in its mother’s arms, the mother’s body will release a large influx of hormones that cause a sense of euphoria in the mother, often referred to as the love hormone. Many believe that this release of hormones in the body sparks the bond formed between mother and baby. From this moment on, your love for your new baby grows substantially, especially as your body continues to release these hormones for many weeks after birth, as you begin nursing, nurturing, and bonding with your child.

Now imagine that the child you just created an unbreakable bond with passes away… let it truly sink in, the child you have grown to love with all of your being is gone and will never be placed in your arms again. In my experience, your body now releases different hormones. Grief hormones. This new set of hormones coursing through your brain resulted in symptoms, such as sleep deprivation, appetite loss, fatigue, anxiety, and crippling depression.

Now imagine you gave birth to not one but two perfect beings and your body is now forced to experience both these huge influxes of drastically different hormones coursing through your brain at the same time. Our brains are not equipped for this, and thus we have no way of coping through these highs and lows. A person very quickly loses the will to live. Our body does not know how to function between the extreme highs and lows of these various different hormones coursing through our brain, and thus we begin to fade. So how does one come back from this… While you are now trying to imagine what this must be like, I lived it.

I am here today to share with you my story on how I was able to pull through the unimaginable. The answer to this question is simple, really. I did not do it alone! I would not be here today if not for the hand God has placed on my life and the people he has strategically placed in my life to help pull me through the darkness. Here is my story.

On March 23, 2021 I gave birth to two perfect healthy little boys Chase ( 6lbs 1oz) and Case (7lbs 2oz). Both were growing and thriving perfectly. Case was even hitting milestones faster than you could imagine. Then on May 12th, 2021 just 50 days later, Case tragically lost his life to SIDS.

The day after Case passed, a friend called to say “Hey, I ordered an Owlet Sock for Chase, it will be delivered today”. That night we put the Owlet Sock on Chase, and at about 3am, we got a notification. We immediately checked on Chase and we found him unresponsive, and not breathing. I was living my nightmare all over again! I thought I was losing another child.

Only I didn’t! I was able to resuscitate him and get him breathing again on his own. The Owlet prompted me to an issue with my child, and I was able to help him before it was too late.

The second Chase came to, I instantly heard God’s plan. God gave me these two amazing beings for a reason. He didn’t take Case to hurt me. He took Case to serve a higher purpose. He gave me Chase to help show me this purpose, and help pull me through these dark and trying days. This was all God’s plan. God wanted me to take my love for my son and the pain from his loss, and use it as fuel to make a change.

I answered that call through the Just in Case Foundation. This foundation spreads awareness of SIDS, educates on the risk factors of SIDS, teaches how to reduce those risk factors, teaches safe sleep practices, CPR certifies the public, and provides families with free Owlet Dream Socks. THIS was God’s plan, and through his plan we are making a difference and changing the world!

But God’s plan didn’t stop there! What I didn't know when I first started this foundation, was just how healing this foundation would be for myself and my family! You see it wasn’t just me who lost a child that fateful day, my husband lost a son. My children lost a brother. Our parents lost a grandchild. We all lost a part of ourselves when we lost Case. My mother said to me, “ I am a fixer, when my children are hurting, I take away that pain and I fix them. I don’t know how to fix this!”

She was feeling double the grief. Grief for her grandson, and grief for her child. The Just in Case Foundation helped us fix a little part of that pain, because through this foundation Case lives on. He is serving his purpose, and our entire family has joined together to make this happen.

There is so much work that goes into running a nonprofit, and through this work, we are bonding and we are healing. My children are learning invaluable life lessons that ultimately help shape them into human beings that love endlessly and give back to the world more than they take.

I honestly can't even describe the joy it brings me to see my children sharing Case’s story, spreading awareness of this foundation, and making a difference in the world around us. Chase’s life has been drastically altered, as he has become a twinless twin. A sort of mascot for our foundation. He draws attention and brings joy to those around him.

Levi, my middle child, was just four years old and Hunter, my eldest son, was just eight years old when we lost Case. However, even at such young ages, the loss hit them hard. Levi had to learn that mommies cry too. He learned to show compassion and support for those who are suffering the unimaginable.

The day Case passed, Hunter became a completely different child. The truth is, on the inside, he isn’t a child anymore. Grief forced him to grow up in an instant. These boys went from being raised by a momma who knew nothing but happiness to living with a momma who cried daily and tried her best to shield them from her grief, but failed, and that’s okay. Grief is natural, and at some point everyone will experience some form of grief. Through our grief, they learned how to cope and how to love. They learned that life is short and tomorrow is never promised. They learned to show compassion to those around them and to always do what is right now matter how much it hurts.

When it comes to grief, you have two choices: you can allow it to destroy you, or you can use it to make you stronger. Our family chose the latter and with that, we now have the Just in Case Foundation. Once again we are able to smile as we see God’s plan in action and all the good we are doing through his plan.

Disclaimer: The quotes, stories, and experiences included here are those of the individuals and are not representative of Owlet's views or claims about our product. Individuals were not paid and did not submit their information as part of any paid promotion by Owlet.