Owlet Cares is our advocacy initiative that is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of babies and parents.
One way we do this is by partnering with nonprofits all over the world who share our mission. These groups participate in our 3:1 match program. When they purchase one Owlet product, we match it with two, meaning three families are reached.
Each month, we shine a spotlight on one of our foundation partners and the important work they are doing.
This month, in honor of SUDC Awareness Month, we’d like to introduce you to the founder of the Jackson Walsh Foundation and Jackson’s mom.
In her words, here is her story.
The quotes, stories, and experiences included here are those of the individuals and are not representative of Owlet's views or claims about our product. Individuals were not paid and did not submit their information as part of any paid promotion by Owlet.
Dream Sock® is intended to track baby's pulse rate and oxygen level and keep parents informed. BabySat® is a prescription-only device. Dream Sock and BabySat are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or other condition, including but not limited to, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and/or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Medical decisions should never be made solely using Dream Duo™ and Dream Sock data. BabySat (prescription-only), Dream Duo and Dream Sock should not substitute for the care and oversight of an adult or consultation with medical professionals.
By: Kelsey Walsh
On February 28, 2020, at 2:50 AM, my world came to a screeching halt. At the time, my oldest daughter was very sick with some virus, so I had set an alarm to check on her every three hours to make sure her temperature didn’t spike overnight. I checked on her at midnight, and I remember going in to check on my son, Jackson, as well because his temperature was 99°F, and I was nervous he might catch whatever my oldest had.
At 2:50 AM, I checked on him again, and his temperature was 97.6°F. I then checked to see if he was breathing, and that’s when I realized he wasn’t. I quickly grabbed him and ran to my room to wake up my husband. I remember desperately trying to wake him, begging for Jackson to be okay. We immediately called 911, and the operator guided my husband through CPR until EMS arrived.
I ran downstairs with my 3-year-old because I didn’t want the ambulance to miss our house. I waited outside, hoping they would arrive quickly to help Jackson. After about an hour of working on him, they informed us that he was gone.
Jackson was a happy, healthy 17 month old boy who loved hard. He was such a little lover boy, and he had the best laugh. He loved his family, pacis, golf, being outside with his sister and playing on his scooter. We have no answers as to why Jackson died which led us to The SUDC Foundation - Sudden Unexplained Death of a Child. This is a category of death for children between the ages of 1 to 18 that remains unexplained after thorough investigation.
After Jackson died, I couldn't sleep at all because I was worrying about my oldest daughter and constantly checking to see if she was breathing. I quickly realized that the Owlet gave me the peace of mind I needed so that I could l sleep. In May of 2020, my husband and I started our nonprofit, The Jackson Walsh Foundation to raise awareness for SUDC, as well as provide Owlet Dream Socks for as many babies as we can with hopes to provide comfort for other parents that they would be alerted if their baby needed them.
Through our nonprofit, we support grieving families, provide Owlet Dream Socks to those in need, fund genetic research for SUDC, offer books to grieving children, and provide other resources to help families through their most difficult times.
Author Bio:
Kelsey Walsh is married to her husband Peter Walsh and they have four children. They started The Jackson Walsh Foundation shortly after their son, Jackson, died at 17 months in 2020. The foundation provides support to grieving families in various ways, funds SUDC (Sudden unexplained death of a child) research and helps provide Owlet Dream Socks to families in need.
