Who We Are
Jackson Chance Foundation enriches the lives of families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by allowing them to spend more time with their critically ill baby.
Parking fees at NICU’s can cost more than $1,000 a month – forcing many parents to make the unthinkable choices, like whether to see their baby, or pay their monthly rent or mortgage. In fact, just one day of visitor parking, at a top level NICU can cost upwards of $75. Today the average length of stay in the NICU is 28 days and most babies are there for months at a time. Meaning many babies are left alone, because their parents simply cannot afford to be with them.
At Jackson Chance Foundation, we remove the financial burden of parking fees, giving every family the opportunity to be with their child each and every day. We give families access to the best hospitals, neonatal specialists, surgical abilities, and nursing staff that they otherwise may have to turn down because of the high cost of parking. Through our NICU Transportation Program, we partner with hospitals to provide complimentary parking for families. Since inception, we have raised more than $8 million and provided over 858,000 days of parking to more than 26,000 families. Today, our program serves families at Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital, and Rush Children’s Hospital. Read more about Jackson Chance Foundation in our online brochure!
Jackson’s Story
Our beloved son, Jackson Chance, came to us on 11.11.11 @ 11:11pm. He was as special as his birthday was unique. Jackson spent his entire life in the NICU.
We were blessed to have him in our lives for 10 amazing but short months. We were fortunate to have the resources and support that allowed us to spend not only significant but quality time with him. The NICU was our family’s home away from home, and we know first hand the challenges parents face while having a child in the hospital.
Jackson Chance was born 10 weeks premature and spent all but 48 hours of his life in the hospital. He was a fighter and a very happy baby. I (Carrie, his mother) was fortunate to have the support and resources to spend each and every day with him in the hospital. We truly made the hospital his home.
We always thought Jackson would come home and live a long life with us. We never considered the possibility that he would not make it home until right at the very end. Jackson passed away in his mother’s arms while holding his father’s hand on September 7, 2012 just shy of 10 months.
Jackson had Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung condition that affects newborn babies who were either put on a breathing machine after birth or were born very early (prematurely).
The few lucky ones who got to meet Jackson were truly amazed by his spirit. He was by far, the happiest baby I have ever met. We believe that the time we were able to spend with him not only contributed to his happiness but also greatly enhanced and extended his life.
Jackson gave us more joy in 10 months than we could hope for in a lifetime.
We hope that Jackson’s memory will continue to live on by touching similar families. We were able to find so much joy in the NICU and create an environment where the hospital became an extended family to us and Jackson. We believe, without a doubt, that this contributed to Jackson having so much happiness in his short life. We hope others are able to experience this as well.
Our goal at Jackson Chance Foundation is to help others “Enjoy the Moment!” just like Jackson did.