One Baby Boy and Many Pairs of Jeans
By Dianna Caspary
Jessica and her husband thought that they had prepared for everything before bringing home their second child in the summer of 2019. “He was eight pounds and one ounce when he was born. A healthy little baby boy. But on day 17,” Jessica, a senior analyst in supply chain, said, “we knew something was wrong.”
Baby Reid wouldn’t eat. He kept waking up that night and moaning as if he was in pain, so Jessica and her husband Tyler took him to the local hospital. With a temperature reading of 100.4 degrees, they were told to go to the children’s hospital ER room, which was nearly 40 minutes away.
Upon arrival, Reid was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit. There was a blur of blood work, tests, intravenous lines, medications, feeding tubes, antibiotics and more tests. Reid was even put on a ventilator because he stopped breathing as Jessica held him in her arms. The doctors found that he had a E. coli blood infection, and he was diagnosed with a condition called hydronephrosis, which is a disease that affects his kidneys.
One day stretched into nine stressful days of uncertainty. And Jessica was doing everything she could for her son. Thankfully, a couple of coworkers stepped up to do everything they could for her.
Going a step further“Michelle and Jackie are not just coworkers. They are true friends,” said Jessica. They were looking out for her emotional health by taking her out to lunch and getting her out of the hospital for short periods of time. They were also bringing lunch to her and her husband so that they would have one less thing to worry about.
They knew Jessica and her husband had a lot on their minds on top of Reid’s health. It had been less than a month since he was born, and the medical bills were piling up on top of their monthly expenses.
Michelle and Jackie knew they could go a step further to help their friend and her family financially, and they did this by submitting an application to our Green for Jeans program on behalf of Jessica. The program provides financial assistance to associates in need, and the funds are contributed by fellow associates who purchase a sticker or badge in order to wear jeans in the office. The Green for Jeans program has helped associates across the entire company since 2007.
“They told me they were applying for me,” Jessica said, “But I really didn’t know what to expect.”
Within a day, the president of the Associate Board and a fellow coworker reached out to Jessica. By the end of the week, the medical bills were paid no questions asked. “It was such a relief,” said Jessica. “A weight was lifted off of my chest.”
Truly thankfulReid is a happy boy even though he is still receiving treatment for his condition today. And Jessica and her husband are thankful to Michelle and Jackie and all associates who wanted to wear jeans to work.
“Knowing that there’s a program like Green for Jeans and that coworkers can care for other coworkers like this is heartwarming,” Jessica said. “ I am truly thankful to be part of the Scotts family. They helped me and my family, and this is something that I’ll never forget.”
