Our Story

Leighton Sophie Taylor and Jaxon Cohen were born on May 26, 2011. At only 28 weeks they were tiny little fighters who amazed us on so many levels from the very beginning. After one week they were both off of CPap, and after 2 weeks both were doing well enough to no longer need additional oxygen as well! We just knew we were on our way to taking home our healthy miracles! Our world was rocked at 12:30 am on June 16th. That is when we received the call that Leighton had an unusually high fever for a preemie. It was determined that she had Late Onset Group B Strep (GBS). The infection was so quick to take over her little body that she was in the arms of Jesus within 48 hours.
The rules in the NICU are very strict. FOR GOOD REASON! These little ones are fragile and need to have limited visitors and stimulation. However, one of the hardest things as a family, was knowing that no one ever got to meet our sweet angel. Even though she was only 3 weeks old, she had her own spunky personality. She always looked our way when we were there. She would kick her little foot over to us and shake it back and forth. She would "hum" (just like her twin brother still does) when we held her. These are just a few of the things that we wish everyone could have seen. "Leighton's Gift" IS going to make sure that happens for other families from the very beginning! There are so many milestones met in the NICU that will be able to be viewed through Leighton's Gift. Families will have the opportunity to view IN REAL TIME, these milestone's (first bath, diaper changes, feedings, cuddle time, etc.). Eventually, parents will also be able to talk/sing to their precious ones through a "one-way" audio element that is also in the works. We pray that this project will help make families who are faced with a child in the NICU feel more connected and comfortable when they are not able to be there in person.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Only 2 more days!

Wow!  Leighton's Ride is only two days away!  We are so excited about everyone that is coming to help us raise money for Leighton's Gift.  Just a few things for everyone that is planning to attend:

- Registration will begin at 9:00 am.
- We are providing donuts and coffee in the morning
- Raffle drawing will be at 1:00 pm for various items, including an iPAD donated by TSP!!!
  (*Raffle tickets will be sold during registration)

After the ride, there are several restaurants that will be offering discounts for riders and anyone with a "Leighton's Gift" bracelet (given out at registration).  Here are a few:

Turquoise Firefly
- Offering BBQ sandwiches for sale
- 20% OFF your entire purchase at the Turquoise Firefly Boutique
  THEY ARE ALSO DONATING 10% OF ALL SALES TO LEIGHTON'S GIFT!
- Happy Hour prices at the bar downstairs from 12:00 - 4:00 pm, open only for riders and bracelet holders
- Bike judging for uniqueness - $100 donated to Leighton's Gift in winners name & winner gets food and drink comped!!!

Jimbo's Pizza
- $3.99 buffet or 10% off pizza order

Dickey's BBQ
- Free Large drink with any entree

**Other restaurants on the square may also offer discounts and have just not let us know yet.
Leighton's family members will all be wearing a tee shirt that looks like this.  If you have any questions or need anything at the ride, please look for one of us!




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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Leighton's Ride - May 18, 2013

Please join us for Leighton's Ride on May 18, 2013!!!



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2013 March of Dimes Walk

We had an amazing time at the March of Dimes Walk yesterday!  Thank you to everyone who supported Team Jaxon & Leighton!!

We took our first family picture as a family of 4... (actually a family of 5 in December!). 

Jaxon even got to see "Sissy".  He went right up to give her sweet kisses.

We had such a great time and look forward to walking again next year!
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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Leighton's Ride!

On May 18th, we will have the very first annual "Leighton's Ride" bike rally!  This will be an annual motorcycle ride that will benefit Leighton's Gift.  Right now we are still in the process of raising money for the camera system for THR - Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, and all proceeds this year will go directly to the hospital.  I know it's been a slow process, but I assure you the project is still moving forward (although slower than would like), and we still have the full support of THR and the hospital!  Everyone is still very excited and motivated about this project becoming a reality for the NICU that has such a special place in our hearts.

More about the ride!

Date: May 18, 2013
Time: The ride will begin at 9:30 am and registration will be at 9:00 am.
Location: Downtown Celina Sqare, in Celina, TX!

The ride will be approximately 100 miles and will go from Celina to Denison, through Tioga, and back to Celina.  "Loose Wheels" will be the Denison check point.  We are still in the early stages of all the planning and preparations, but we are hoping this will be a fun event that we will have for many years to come!  And don't worry if you are not a "Rider", there is a park, as well as several boutiques and restaraunts to explore and enjoy while the riders are gone!

I do not have registration forms prepared yet, but as soon as they are, I will have them posted!

More information to come as soon as it is available.  Thank you all so much for all of your supports and prayers.  We love and appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Thank you, and we hope to see you all soon at Leighton's Ride!



Amy

Ps.  Here is a picture of Jaxon!  He is getting so big!  He is the sweetest little boy.  He is doing wonderful!  Developmentally, he is right on track, and becoming such a ham!  We couldn't be more proud of this little guy.
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March of Dimes Walk for Healthy Babies - Team Jaxon and Leighton

It's been a while!  I am excited to share a few new events for Leighton's Gift in the near future!  We will be walking in the March of Dimes - Walk for Healthy Babies in April, and hosting a Bike Rally in May!

The March of Dimes walk will be April 20, 2013.  If you would like to join our team, we would LOVE to have you join us!!!  This is the link to our team page:  Our team is "Team Jaxon and Leighton"

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1965170





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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Meeting at THR Presby Plano!

I'm actually a little late posting this, but I had to gather my thoughts.  Last week we had a meeting at Presby Plano to introduce Leighton's Gift to the Chairman's Council.  I'm not at a point where I can talk in public about Leighton yet withought having a breakdown, but I wrote down important points that I wanted to be heard.  Chris did an amazing job presenting to everyone!  I was so proud of him!

I can't even begin to tell you how I felt when so many others were excited about Leighton's Gift!  When we originally started this project, I had no idea how much bigger it could get.  Now we are talking about being able to provide a system for the entire NICU!  What a blessing this is going to be!!!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support in helping us make this dream a reality :)

Ps.  This weekend is the March of Dimes walk for healthy babies.  We will be walking with our NICU family.  I'll post pics as soon as I can!

Amy
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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Exciting news!

It looks like we are getting so close to installing Leighton's Gift!!!  There will be one major change though.  Instead of using NicView, Texas Health Resources has decided that the Peek-a-Boo camera system will be better for them.  A very generous family has donated a large sum of money to the THR Dallas location to develop software that will be specifically designed for THR hospital use.  What this means for THR Plano (Presby Plano), is that all of the money that has been donated for Leighton's Gift will go directly to purchasing the hardware (camera's and equipment), and of course the yearly service costs that will be ongoing.  THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!  We were at a meeting and saw a live picture of the video stream and it was amazing!!!!  Parents and families will be able to view their baby (babies) from their computer, iPhone, iPad...etc.
What is also exciting is that eventually moms and dads will also be able to talk to their babies via one-way audio!  That's right, our sweet babies will be able to hear our voices.  This will be so important for parents to bond with their little ones.  They have specialist working to make sure that sound is kept to a minimal level that is safe and comforting for the babies.  Perfecting all these little details mean that the audio portion may not go live at the same time as cameras.  We are just over the moon excited that Leighton's Gift is all coming together!!!  More news to come as soon as I have it :)  I will also be posting budget information.  Where we are vs. what we still need to make this dream a reality.  What an amazing birthday gift we are going to have for our sweet Leighton, to be able to make this happen in her memory.
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