April 9, 2018, was a day my husband and I had been looking forward to since we found out I was pregnant, just not in the exact way our baby came into the world.

From the beginning, our beautiful baby girl was a surprise, but the biggest surprise came 7 months later when she decided she had enough time in mommy’s tummy and wanted to make her very early debut into the world. Watching intently, not hearing that beautiful sound of a brand-new baby's first cry, I overheard the Pediatric Doctor say to my husband, “I’m worried.” Sending all emotions coursing through my body as I lay there helpless, watching as the fast-acting NICU team hooked up all the tubes and wires to this tiny 3 lb 9 oz baby girl, my baby girl.

Every day from that moment was grueling. A day turned into a week. A week into two months in the NICU, and as any other mom of a NICU baby can tell you, you’re helpless. The fight is up to this brand-new baby, and our little girl fought. Every day she grew stronger, not without setbacks, of course, but passed each milestone she had to hit for us to be able to bring her home. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions, but all you have is hope, patience, and love to keep going each day.

Fast forward to today, we have a crazy, rambunctious, and healthy toddler with no signs of being a preemie. Our journey during her first couple of months of life made my husband and me realize that we wanted to start a company that was not only the essence of “comfort” but also was able to give back, just as the NICU team gave us hope each day our little girl was going to be alright. Onni Candle was started, and as part of our “give back,” we are giving 10% of our net profits from candle sales directly to agencies that help the families of premature babies, such as the March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald House, and local NICUs.

We share our story to remind everyone that in your darkest of times, there is always a light burning at the end. We may not know why instances happen in life, but I like to think that our daughter taught us through all this to slow down, enjoy the times and memories, and also to help give back to those in need. We hope you enjoy our products at Onni Candle, and we will continue our mission to give back.