By Bailey McCain
What began as every expectant parent’s dream became an unimaginable loss, and now a powerful mission to save lives.
A community fundraiser titled Fundraising for Impact is honoring the life of Ember Leigh Haynes while working to prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak. The fundraiser supports the development of a medical monitoring device designed to track unborn babies’ movement and detect potential complications earlier, particularly in high risk pregnancies.
In August 2025, Ember was expected to be born healthy and full term. Her mother felt her move and kick just one day before a scheduled delivery. When the family arrived at the hospital, they received devastating news. Ember no longer had a heartbeat. She was born weighing seven pounds, five ounces, and was described by her family as a perfect baby girl who should have been coming home.
Rather than allowing grief to end the story, Ember’s family chose to turn their loss into purpose. The fundraiser highlights sobering statistics shared at the event, including that one in 175 births results in stillbirth and one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Organizers believe earlier and more accessible monitoring could make a life saving difference.
The goal of the fundraiser is to help develop a monitoring system that improves survival rates for unborn babies by identifying warning signs sooner. Organizers hope the device will eventually be available nationwide and covered by insurance as a medically necessary tool for pregnant patients.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward research, development, and safety testing of the device. Above all, organizers stress that accuracy and safety come first, ensuring the technology is done right before it is widely used.
Through this fundraiser, Ember’s legacy lives on, not only as a child deeply loved and deeply missed, but as a light of hope for families who may one day be spared the same loss.
