From the NICU to Today: Why We Started, and Where We’re Going
AHP founder, Susan Geoghegan, knows firsthand what it’s like to sit in the NICU as a new mom—exhausted, terrified, and completely unprepared for the life she suddenly found herself living. While most new mothers were navigating baby showers and sleepless nights, Susan was navigating monitors, feeding tubes, and a language no parent ever expects to learn.
Through the endless alarms and fluorescent lights, her love for her daughter was fierce and unwavering. But as a caregiver, she felt invisible. Everyone’s eyes were on the baby (as they should be), but very few people were checking on the parent at the bedside. No one was putting a blanket over her shoulders, handing her coffee, or whispering: “You matter too.”
It was for that version of herself—and for the countless other caregivers who would come after—that Susan founded The Apricity Hope Project.
A New Chapter: NICU Grad Bags
Now, years later, The Apricity Hope Project is expanding in a way that feels like coming full circle.
We’re growing our Care(Giver) Package Program to include NICU Grad Bags—special care packages for parents leaving the NICU with medically complex children. Because Susan remembers that day: walking out of the hospital with her child, carrying not only a baby but also the heavy weight of fear, grief, and an uncertain future.
Too often, caregivers leave the NICU unseen and unsupported. Our NICU Grad Bags will change that. Each one is filled with comfort items and resources, but more importantly, with a message: you are not alone, and you matter.
Each NICU Grad Bag is filled with comfort items and resources to meet immediate needs—but more than that, each one carries a message of encouragement and empowerment. It’s a way of telling parents: we see you, we honor you, and we’re here for the long road ahead.
Why This Matters
From the beginning, The Apricity Hope Project has existed to support caregivers—moms and dads sitting in hospital rooms, parents navigating diagnoses they never expected, and families carrying both grief and joy in the same breath.
Launching NICU Grad Bags allows us to reach caregivers even earlier in their journey. It lets us step into that first terrifying moment—when everything changes—and offer encouragement, comfort, and community.
This new initiative connects directly back to our founder’s story and to the heart of our mission: ensuring no caregiver has to walk this road unseen.
Join Us in Reaching 100 Families
Our first goal is to fund 100 NICU Grad Bags. At $50 each, that’s $5,000 to begin sending families home with hope.
This program is more than packages—it’s a promise. A promise that no caregiver will ever have to walk this road unseen.
We invite you to be part of that promise. Together, we can reach caregivers right where they are, in their hardest seasons, and remind them that apricity—the warmth of the sun in winter—is real.
