When Lori and Travis McGrew learned they were expecting their first child, they were filled with excitement. However, during the pregnancy, the couple discovered that their daughter had trisomy 18, a condition not compatible with life. Despite the diagnosis, the couple remained hopeful.

After two days of labor, their daughter, Maddie, was born sleeping. The loss was devastating. Family and friends stepped in to support them during this time, even covering funeral expenses for the couple. Along with their grief came countless questions, even with the strongest support systems: What do we do when it’s Christmas? How do we honor our child?

The couple wanted everyone to remember Maddie’s name, and they wanted to give back. In 2010, they created Maddie’s Footprints. The mission was simple yet powerful: to offer financial and emotional support to families experiencing the loss of a child.

A GROWING MISSION
What began in Lafayette has since expanded into a lifeline for families across Acadiana and the Greater Baton Rouge area, even touching the lives of those in New Orleans. In the first year, the organization helped 15 families. Last year, that number grew to 511 families.

Connected with local funeral homes and hospitals, many families are referred to the organization. Those interested in services can fill out the application electronically, and the program director connects quickly to check on how Mom is doing, get information, and then follow up with Mom.  

“Once they reach out to Mom, they reach out to the funeral home to let them know that we are donating towards their baby’s funeral, burial, or cremation,” says Mandy Cushing, the Executive Director.

A THRIVING COMMUNITY
Maddie’s Footprints not only provides critical resources but also takes things a step further, reaching into communities so no one feels alone during this time.

“We have a giant race in October during Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month, one in Acadiana and one in Baton Rouge. It serves as a giant birthday party for our families to come in and celebrate their babies, when they maybe didn’t have that opportunity. We have a giant birthday cake with our babies’ names on it, so each family gets to have a piece of cake with their baby’s name on it. It’s a really fun day where families come out and honor their babies. We also have a gala each year,” says Cushing.

The event, Footprints Forever, will be held on Saturday, October 18 in Pointe-Marie.

Along with the events, the organization provides a variety of programs, including grief counseling that is completely free to families, workshops, and Maddie’s Mommies and Maddie’s Daddies events, where they encourage peer-to-peer support.

A HOPEFUL FUTURE
From a heartbreaking loss, Maddie’s Footprints has blossomed into a beacon of hope for many families—and the organization is striving to help support every family they can.

Cushing shares, “Ideally, no family would go without Maddie’s in the Acadiana and Greater Baton Rouge area. I think we’re getting there, but the ideal would be that no family goes without our support simply because they don’t know about us.”

Maddie’s life, though brief, continues to leave footprints on countless hearts, proof that even the smallest lives can make the biggest impact.

To learn more, visit their website here.