ALBANY, Ga. (WALB)— LaJuana Grant walks into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital on the 11th of every month, carrying a basket filled with items for mothers and babies. The first time she returned to the unit after her daughter’s death, she said the feeling was overwhelming.

“I felt this warm feeling, but I know that I was there for a purpose,” Grant said. “It makes me be at ease a little to feel better, to help other people, and to let them know that my pain has purpose behind it.”

Grant’s daughter, Harper Ann Eliana Grant, lived for eight days in the NICU before dying from necrotizing enterocolitis, a stomach infection, in a Macon hospital.

Through Harper’s Fairy Foundation, Grant and her husband, Antonio, are keeping their daughter’s memory alive by donating care packages to NICU families.

‘It was beautiful’

Grant, who is from Leesburg, said she wants people to understand that Harper’s story is more than a headline.

“It’s not just a tragic story that happened. It is our baby. Our miracle. The baby that we prayed for, for so long,” Grant said. “Those eight days were more than I can even imagine. It was beautiful.”

Grant, who works as a Pre-K teacher in Dougherty County, said she is transitioning to the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. She has worked in education for 15 years and is currently pursuing a counseling degree, a decision influenced by Harper’s passing.

Harper arrived after Grant and her husband went through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and used a donor. The baby’s name came from a conversation with Grant’s friend, who also served as the donor and has since passed away.

Harper’s Fairy Gift Basket

Every month on Harper’s birthday, the foundation donates a basket of items for mothers and babies to a NICU family at Phoebe. The donations alternate between families with girls and boys. Hospital staff selects the recipient family.

“It’s awesome because I know a lot of the moms come in here and especially if they’re really new or early, they probably have not gotten a lot of that stuff yet,” Elizabeth Webb, a Phoebe NICU nurse, said. “They’re trying to come see their babies, don’t have time to get it. So it’s a very big blessing for our families.”

Grant said she receives messages from those who have heard her story and are facing their own NICU challenges.

“Without God, I don’t know if we would have made it,” Grant said. “Although we’re sad that Harper’s not here, there is so much purpose in this pain. I’m going to keep trusting and believing that God has something greater and we’re going to be okay.”

A national spotlight

The foundation’s work gained national attention when PEOPLE Magazine featured Harper’s story.

Grant said she and her husband discuss Harper regularly and are taking their time as they consider their future. She said they have one more embryo from their IVF journey.

“We don’t want her name to be in vain. We don’t want her memory to be lost,” Grant said. “We want to make sure that we honor her and keep her name alive. Because she was our baby, our miracle.”

The Harper’s Fairy Foundation will host an honor walk for Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Month in Albany on May 16. WALB will update with more event details as they become available.

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