Our Mission:
The Michael Gerard Puharic Memorial Fund, Inc. is a local 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to giving comfort and easing the burden for parents carrying and caring for seriously ill newborns.
By supplying material goods and financial support, we give families in need time to focus on what is important - caring for their child.
Baby Michael:
Michael's Feat is named in loving memory of Michael Gerard Puharic who was born on July 29, 2000 to Adam and Dana Puharic. During the pregnancy, Dana and Adam were informed that Michael would face grave health problems resulting from a chromosome disorder known as Trisomy 13. Sadly, his life lasted only 83 hours. While he was not with us long, Michael's legacy lives on and continues to inspire hope. His brave struggle and the love and caring he brought out in people remains an amazing accomplishment. This is Michael’s “feat.”
How we assist families with seriously ill newborns and preemies:
Working with liaisons at Monmouth Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Michael’s Feat connects families caring for ill infants with with the services or items they need in their time of duress. We also work in a liaison role with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (C.H.O.P.)
For such families, even a small item like a gas card to help alleviate the cost of traveling back and forth to the hospital, or respite care for the siblings that need to stay home, become lifesavers.
Among the many resources available to families are:
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Direct financial support
-Overnight bags filled with supplies for those families that have to stay in the hospital
-Furniture and medical equipment
-Counseling and support through an online family resource center
-Meals and gas cards
-Skilled nurses to care for the babies and provide respite care for the parents.
