MILLCREEK, Utah — A Utah family is spreading holiday cheer one special onesie at a time, paying forward the kindness they received 9 years ago. In 2014, Trisha Allen-Gibby’s son Cason was born and spent his first Christmas in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Trying to manage everything, it’s a really tough thing for a parent to have to do that,” Allen-Gibby said. "It’s just those little things because it’s all about hope when your babies are in the NICU, and it just gives you that little bit of relief that somebody’s got your back and somebody’s helping out."
To the family's surprise on Christmas morning, Cason had some special presents.
“We don’t know who they are, but somebody came in and brought him presents on Christmas Eve,” said Allen-Gibby.
The anonymous gift-givers left a stuffed animal that Cason still holds onto, a snowflake and a special note.
“Just being a mom of a premie baby, it was the last thing on our mind. And so when I got in there, it was like Christmas magic to have a little something in there for him," Allen-Gibby recalled on Saturday. "After that happened that year, we wanted to do something to pay it forward, and so we started doing 'my first Christmas' onesies.”
Since then, Allen-Gibby has been giving these onesies out to families with babies in the NICU. This year, they are giving out about 160. They teamed up through a service project with Nation Youth Softball to tie ribbons and little notes on the onesies. The notes are a special reminder to soak in the joy of the season.
She collections to make this possible, and it’s making a difference. Last year, FOX 13 News shared the story of how a mom, McKenzie McCombs, was giving out little Christmas baskets to families in the NICU at St. Mark's Hospital as a way to pay forward a Christmas onesie she got for her baby Coleman the year before — that gesture was a onesie from Allen-Gibby.
“We saw a story of a woman that was paying it forward because she had received one of our onesies, and so it’s been fun to watch it move forward and see how it's blessed other people and see what it's done," Allen-Gibby said.
The goal is to make sure this beautiful cycle can continue.
“I hope more people will pay it forward. I hope more people will get them and love them, and it’ll mean something to them," Allen-Gibby said.
The Allen-Gibby family will take these onesies to hospital NICUs on the day of Christmas Eve to spread hope and joy this Christmas season.
