ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University women's lacrosse team will host an inaugural Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness game on Saturday, April 2, 2022 as the Bluejays host Alma College at Langhorst Field at 10:00 a.m. 

Fans are encouraged to wear light pink and Blue to the contest. The team is holding an online fundraiser and all ticket sales will be donated to Roberts Program at Boston Children's Hospital. To donate to the Bluejays' fundraiser click here. 

Robert's Program is a clinical service offered to families who have lost a child suddenly and unexpectedly, without apparent cause. Their efforts help a family understand the reasons for their child's death, while supporting them through a very difficult time. Their interdisciplinary team uses the most current medical knowledge and methods to find answers for bereaved families while being leaders in research and discovery. The program focuses on Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics (SUDP) - which encompasses Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood (SUDC).

For more information on Robert's Program click here. 

What is SIDS?

• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year of age that doesn't have a known cause even after a complete investigation.
• SIDS is a sudden and silent medical disorder that can happen to an infant who seems healthy.
• SIDS is the leading cause of death among babies between1 month and 1 year of age.
• Research has helped increased safe sleep habits which has reduced accidental suffocation in SIDS, however, research has yet to discover the cause of Sudden Unidentified Infant Death (SUID) in SIDS babies.
• In 2019, the SUID rate was 90.1 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Why SIDS Awareness?
Elmhurst Head Coach Ally Howard is the driving force behind the Bluejays' fundraising effort for SIDS Awareness. Coach Howard lost her daughter, McKinley, to SIDS in 2000. 

From Coach Howard:
"It was May 12, 2020 and it was McKinley's 5-month birthday. We woke up the same as usual, McKinley in her bassinet next to the bed and her big sister Adelaide in her room down the hall. We got up, went downstairs to start breakfast and our day. As the morning passed, the time came for McKinley's nap. I put her down and returned to Adelaide to put her down too.

McKinley's nap seemed to be taking longer than usual so I went in to check on her. I found her non-responsive and screamed for my husband. As he dialed 911, I started CPR. I have been certified in infant CPR for over 20 years. I saw her chest rise and fall, but there was no change. The EMTs got there and took over. It felt like they were taking their time, but I know they were
simply calmer and better trained than me, so I trusted them. I fell to the floor in screams I'd only ever heard on TV: I knew she was gone. The police officer was amazing, he tried reassuring me, he told me the EMTs still trying were a good sign, but I knew the truth. I had previously worked in a hospital, and I knew what death looked like.McKinley passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) with no identifiable cause. She was a perfect, healthy baby of five months old. Children throughout history have died from SIDS with no cure, cause, or reason identified. Research has shown safe sleep habits reduce accidental suffocation in SIDS babies; but still, no causes for Sudden Unidentified Infant Death in SIDS have been found.

After McKinley's passing, we started looking into SIDS research and found Boston Children's Hospital's Robert's Program. We decided to donate McKinley's tissue samples for their research, and the relationship we've built with the program since has been beyond rewarding. We are here to raise awareness about SIDS, as well as money for the Robert's Program, working to keep their research alive in hopes that an answer to SIDS will be found. Not a day goes by that I don't think about McKinley, her smile, her laugh, or that final nap. No parent should have to spend the rest of their days wondering how or why this happened to them. Through Robert's Program, we hope one day that will become a reality.

To donate to the Bluejays' fundraiser click here.