When you're a parent of a baby who is ill and in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, it can be difficult emotionally and physically. After going through the experience herself, Indiana mom Sarah Pulley jumped at the opportunity to give back to other NICU parents.
Pulley recently partnered with Ronald McDonald House, which operates facilities in cities around the world intended to help ease the burden of being with a child in the hospital, to open a salon in Riley Children's Health hospital, where she offers her services for free.
Pulley's daughter spent four months in the NICU.
Amelia was born prematurely four years ago and spent four months in the NICU at two hospitals in Indianapolis, according to Today Parents. Pulley, 34, jumped at the opportunity to serve NICU families just like hers when she caught wind that Ronald McDonald House wanted to open a salon inside one of the two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Riley Children's Health.
"When Amelia contracted a virus, she was transferred to Riley Children's Health," Pulley, who owns a hair salon in Carmel, Indiana, told Today Parents. "We're very familiar with those walls."
Pulley was already a volunteer.
Pulley has spent the last year volunteering at the hospital's Ronald McDonald House Family Room. When she heard about the salon program, she became particularly excited. "I knew this could be special," she said.
She agreed to spearhead the program, donating a chair from her salon, Three Seventeen Hair Design. She also worked with distributors to provide $150 in free products to use in the salon.
Pulley will also offer her services and expertise to clients at The Beauty Bar, which opened September 14 on the third floor of the Ronald McDonald Family Room Maternity Tower at Riley. Moms and dads are welcome to get services.
Pulley and Ronald McDonald House hope the salon will be a haven for stressed parents.
The salon is a new venture for Ronald McDonald House. Parents are treated as clients and get to indulge in a bit of pampering.
"In a first for Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, we offer a salon to pamper new moms with hair washing and scalp massages, a state-of-the-art nap pod, a hydro-massage table for fully clothed massages, as well as snacks and drinks," Adam Lowe, marketing and communications manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana, tells CafeMom.
He says this program is significant to parents of newborns.
"New moms and parents, particularly those whose newborns are hospitalized, need a place to relax and enjoy much-needed self-care. Best of all, the Family Room is located just a few steps away from the NICU, meaning moms and family members are never far from their babies," he explains.
Pulley has connected with parents during her journey.
The salon operates the second Wednesday of the month and is open for shampoo, blow dry, and scalp massage services, Pulley told Today. She connects with parents while doing these services because she can empathize with their journeys.
One mother had an emergency C-section and a birth similar to her experience with Amelia. Pulley insists that this program is as special for her as it is to the other parents. She told Today that the services "are just as special for me," adding, "There's something about the connection between moms and the power of touch."
The hair stylist encouraged parents not to give up hope and to know that good things are ahead. "There is hope in my story because my daughter is thriving," Pulley shared.
She gave birth to her son, Joey, two years ago. "We made it."
Ronald McDonald House Charities help families worldwide.
According to its website, Ronald McDonald House Charities offers more than 685 programs in 60 countries and regions. These programs account for 1.5 million overnight stays for families, thanks to the help of 74,000 volunteers.
"There are more than 250 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in hospitals in 28 countries around the world, all providing families with sick and injured children a peaceful, quiet oasis from the noises and stress of hospital life," Lowe tells us.
