Special Delivery: Our First Wish List Package

Special Delivery: Our First Wish List Package

by | May 25, 2025 | General

We got our very first Sparkle Strong wishlist delivery, and it was exactly what my tired mama heart needed. Inside the box was a stress relief coloring book, a teen journal and a pack of glitter pens. Who doesn’t love a good glitter pen?! They’re going into aSparkle Strong Survival Kit for an older child in the CICU.

This package was was a wish fulfilled by one of our amazing Instagram followers. She doesn’t know the teen who’ll receive this, but she knew it mattered. That’s what this whole thing is about. Teens often get overlooked in hospital life. But they still need comfort, connection and moments that feel like their own. This kit will give one child that kind of moment.

Starting a nonprofit while living full-time in the CICU isn’t exactly the traditional route. But this? This is where it starts. One delivery. One moment of care. One spark.

If you want to help fill the next kit, our wish list is always open.

Thanks for standing with us. We’re just getting started.

A Burst of Brightness for Heart Families

A Burst of Brightness for Heart Families

by | May 1, 2025 | General

When you’re navigating life in the CICU, it can feel like so much is out of your hands. I know that feeling deeply. In the early days with Baby Jewels, I found myself clinging to the few things I could control and pouring my energy into making them count.

That’s what this space is for.

On the Heartbeats & Highlights blog, you’ll find practical, actionable (and dare I say, fun?!) tips to make CICU life a little brighter. From decorating your hospital room, hyping up your nurses and creating small celebrations that bring big joy, we’re here for the things you can do. Things that give you back a little power, a little peace and a little sparkle.

This isn’t a place that denies the hard stuff. We hold space for the sorrow and frustration, too. But in a world that can be overwhelmingly serious, sometimes choosing joy is its own kind of healing.

Sparkle Strong is about giving a burst of brightness and validation in the uncertainty of CICU life. Whether you’re in the thick of it or standing beside someone who is, we’re so glad you’re here.

There’s so much good stuff ahead, and I hope it helps you feel just a little more capable and a little less alone.

Love,
Jess