Holmen family lifting spirits of moms in NICU on Mother’s Day

HOLMEN, Wis. — For many moms, Mother’s Day is a special day to go to brunch and spend some quality family time at home.

But for mothers who will spend the holiday in the hospital with their children it’s just like any other day, a day to help their kids fight for their lives.

Karla and Jason Dummer of Holmen have spent the last couple of months collecting goodies to take to some of those families.

With help from their kids, Karla and Jason put together gift bags for families spending Mother’s Day in the NICU at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

The bags include things like hygiene products for moms and dads, a journal to write down some of their important thoughts and a book or toy for their baby.

“A lot of families that have these babies in the NICU think they’re going to be there for just a couple of days. And you end up staying weeks, if not months in the NICU,” says Karla, a mother of five kids.

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“I hope it just makes their day a little better, that it makes them have a better Mother’s Day being in the hospital, if there is such a thing,” says Jason, a lifelong Holmen resident.

The Dummers know what it feels like to be in the NICU on important days. They spent four months in the Children’s Hospital NICU with their daughter Sophia, who is almost 2 years old and lives with a rare GI disorder.

The Dummer family hasn’t let Sophia’s condition get the best of them. In fact, they are using it as an opportunity to help those who are in a familiar position.

Karla has organized a foundation, Sophia’s Saving Grace, that is raising awareness for people with GI disorders. She hopes it will help people throughout the nation.

Tune in to News 8 This Morning on Monday, May 13 to learn more about Sophia’s battle with her disorder and her family’s fight to make a difference in the world.