Nevaeh Rae Wallace was born on Valentine’s Day 2008, with an underdeveloped heart. Eight days later she had her first open heart surgery at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Four months later she had her second open heart surgery and for the next nine months lived the life of a normal baby, bringing joy to her parents, Matt and Jamie Wallace of Stoughton.
But Nevaeh’s days were numbered. And now her family has initiated a fundraising project that will benefit other families who are facing health emergencies.
After Nevaeh’s second surgery the plan was to wait until she grew stronger and then continue the work to 
correct her condition, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. But last April she was rushed back to Children’s Hospital. Her heart was failing. After four days of treatment and some improvement in her condition, she was sent home. The next day, April 26, 2009, she went into cardiac arrest and died.
Nevaeh’s parents and three siblings had to do something as a memorial to their beautiful baby. "I remember how much I used to love to walk in the door and see her big bright smile. You could have had the worst day ever and seeing that would make it better," said Matt. "As we’ve been processing our loss we began to dream of ways we could still let Nevaeh’s beautiful life impact others."
A Playroom for Other Children
Matt and Jamie have committed to raise $300,000 for a playroom in Nevaeh’s honor, dedicated to the siblings of future patients at Children’s Hospital. The Playroom of Hope will relieve parents of part of the burden of caring for siblings when one child is being treated at Children’s Hospital. And it will also reduce the stress on the children when a brother or sister is being treated, giving them something fun to do.
A tax-deductible check with "Playroom of Hope" in the memo can be made out to Childrens Hospital Foundation, and sent to the foundation at MS 3050, P.O. BOX 1997, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1997.
For a link to made a deduction online, or learn more about Nevaeh’s story, you can go online to the Playroom of Hope. There’s also a link to a WTMJ TV News story about the Wallace family’s project:
Additional information is available at Nevaeh’s Caring Bridge site.
Tonight is Bounce for Hope Night
And finally, Tuesday nights are Bounce for Hope nights at BounceU Madison on Felland Road. Beginning tonight, and continuing every Tuesday this month (and perhaps beyond), BounceU is open for free bouncing as a fundraiser for the "Playroom of Hope" project. More information is at: http://www.bounce4hope.org/