Violet's Story

I am Her... She is Me...
I gave ME................For Her
And her name is Violet Jeanine
I am simply Mom


This is the story of baby Violet. A pin-dot of cells, nestled into her mothers womb. Growing, multiplying, cells forming 10 fingers and 10 toes, a heart beating. Forming safely, protected by her loving mother. A mother who has also found out she has terminal liver cancer. She makes the ultimate life-giving decision for her new baby. Renee decides against chemotherapy so that this growing bundle of cells with a beating heart will one day breath air.

Renee continues to grow Violet in her womb. Feeling her daughterʼs first flutter, the kicks, the rolls, and hiccups. Renee carried her daughter for 32 weeks gestation. The liver cancer had become too aggressive. It was time for Violet to be born. Renee delivered Violet peacefully with only one push. Her daughtersʼ heart beating on her own, her daughtersʼ lungs took their first breath. Her daughtersʼ cord is clamped........Violet is on her own, but not alone.

Violet is 4.6lbs at birth. She is healthy and strong.
Her mother, a cancer patient, provided kangaroo care for Violet. She was nurtured skin-to-skin. She was worn by her Uncle. She was never left alone. She was surrounded by love. And she felt the determination of her dying mother; a mother who never once asked “why?”. A dying mother who never complained. A mother who accepted her lifeʼs path.







Violet was born November 17th, she was released from the NICU on December 1st. And her mother, Renee, passed away December 15th. Her dying wish is that her daughter be raised on breastmilk.












This is what was on her celebration of life party:

This Body is Not Me

This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.
I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born,
and I have never died.
Look at the ocean and the sky filled
with stars, manifestations from my
wondrous true mind.
Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors
through which we pass, sacred
thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are a game of hide-
and seek.
So laugh with me,
hold my hand,
let us say goodbye,
say good-bye, to meet again soon.
We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source every
moment.
We will meet each other in all forms of
life.
By Thich Nhat Hanh, chanting and Recitations from Plum Village

Renee's dying wish was that her daughter could be raised on human milk.  Her family is dedicated to making this wish come true.  If you have any milk that you are able to donate, please contact us at milkforbabyviolet@gmail.comor contact your local drop center!


Violet is located in Dutchess County in New York.  We are able to travel a bit to pick up, and we currently have drop-centers set up around the area.  Please check our Drop Off Locations page (link on top menu) to get in contact with a drop center near you.  We will be adding more over the next few days to cover a larger area.

We are requesting either copies of pregnancy labs, or a note from your doctor certifying that you are healthy to donate milk.  We strongly doubt that anyone who is so generously giving of themselves would do so knowing that their milk could be harmful to Violet, but it is a necessary precaution.

Copies of labwork sometimes has personal information that you may not wish to give out - addresses, social security numbers, etc.  Please feel free to black out any of that sensitive information with a marker.  We don't want this to make you uncomfortable in any way.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message.