Meet Our Friends At Today Is A Good Day
We're so pleased to help shine a light on the great work being done by our friends at Today is a Good Day, an organization that provides personal and financial support for families who experience the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
When we heard about the incredible work the Today is a Good Day team is doing to support families through a such a challenging time, we were inspired. Beyond that, we saw immediately how well their mission pairs with ours and how our magnetic outfits could be gamechangers for the little ones and healthcare workers in the NICU. We knew we had to get involved!
Check out our interview with Martha Sharkey, founder and CEO of Today is a Good Day to learn more about her personal story, our partnership and the incredible work her team is doing to support families and infants experiencing the NICU.
Q: Martha, can you tell us about Today is a Good Day and about yourself?
My husband and I founded Today is a Good Day following the arrival of our identical twin girls at just 23 weeks and 5 days in 2010. Our daughter, Mary, was with us only two weeks. Our daughter, Claire, beat the odds and came home after 103 days in the NICU. Following our extended stay, we recognized a gap in care for parents and families navigating the NICU journey.
We founded Today is a Good Day in 2014 to help fill that gap with programs including care packages, Navigate the NICU sessions for parents to connect, direct financial support, and more. Through Today is a Good Day’s programs, we have been able to serve over 5,000 families in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond.
Q: How did you get connected with Magnetic Me? Why did you decide to partner with Magnetic Me?
Magnetic Me contacted several of our hospital partners last year to make a generous donation of Magnetic Me onesies for NICU families. We were able to work with Magnetic Me to expand their reach and include all of the Today is a Good Day hospital partners within the Greater Philadelphia region. The medical staff love giving the magnetic outfits to families as a special gift.
As a NICU parent, dressing your baby in the NICU is a significant milestone to reach. This generous donation from Magnetic Me is giving parents so much more than a beautiful piece of clothing. They are giving them a memory and a keepsake from their NICU experience.
Q: What are the benefits of the Magnetic outfits for little ones in the NICU?
When our surviving twin, Claire, reached the milestone of wearing clothes for the first time, we searched for clothes that allowed the medical teams to easily access her tubes and wires during her extended NICU stay. The magnetic openings on the Magnetic Me onesies definitely help with this access.
Q: What’s your favorite part about TIAGD?
I feel honored and humbled every day to advance the mission of Today is a Good Day by supporting families who experience the NICU. We remember our 103-day NICU journey after our identical twin girls, Claire and Mary, were born at just 23 weeks and 5 days. The NICU was filled with many ups and downs. Our daughter, Mary, was with us only two weeks before earning her wings. Claire continued to fight each day. We did not know what her future would look like. Our family celebrated every milestone — no matter how small — throughout our extended NICU stay.
We always knew we would want to give back in some way. The growth of Today is a Good Day over the past seven years is incredible looking at the number of families we have been able to serve, along with the wonderful network of NICU families, volunteers, donors, and friends who have come together to support NICU families.
Q: What’s in store for TIAGD next?
We are excited to continue serving NICU families through our hospital partnerships and expanding our reach to new regions. In addition, the 2nd season of the Today is a Good Day Podcast launched in June! As we continue to navigate through COVID-19, we will provide virtual programs for families and look forward to getting back into the hospitals soon to meet with families in-person.
We are also looking forward to a great partnership with Magnetic Me providing Today is a Good Day Milestone shirts to families when their baby reaches the milestone of wearing clothes for the first time. Today is a Good Day is grateful for the generous donation from Magnetic Me for our littlest miracles. Speaking from personal experience, the NICU journey can be isolating and lonely. Receiving a beautiful and meaningful gift, such as the Magnetic Me onesie, is incredibly thoughtful. We look forward to launching this important partnership.
Check out Today is a Good Day's website for more about their programs, their podcast which shares stories from families navigating the NICU and information about how you can get involved. Follow them on instagram at @today_is_a_good_day_pa
