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Michie Sebree, RN
President
I have been active with Neo-Fight since 1997, and currently serving as the President. I am a Registered
Nurse with a minor in Psychology and an extensive background serving children with special needs and those in hospice
care. I am certified in Bereavement through the National Organization of Victim's Assistance. I am a member of the Indiana
Crisis Assistance Response Team, the Johnson County Animal Disaster Response Team, and with my family dog, Courtney,
on a Pet Therapy team. I volunteer for Big Sister/ Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Animal Care and Control, and
am a foster parent for Russian orphans through the Cherry Orchard Project. I serve on the board of directors of Tenderness
Tour, Inc. as Medical Coordinator, the Indiana Perinatal Advisory Board, and the Communtiy Council on Infant Health
& Survival. I have experience as a speaker, served on several conference planning committees, and chaired an Indiana
Bereavement Consenus Statement through the Indiana Perinatal Network. My greatest accomplishment is being the mother of
2 wonderful daughters, Mesa and Levi. I have been active with Neo-Fight in a variety of capacities since the loss of
Levi's twin brother, Luke, who was stillborn at 33 weeks.
Theresa White
I have been involved with Neo-Fight since 1995, one year after my second child was born. Will arrived
3 months early @ 2 lbs. 5 oz. and 14 1/4" long. Amongst many other problems, his main obstacle was that he could not breathe
on his own leading to a 3 month stay at Riley Hospital. Will had many obstacles that he overcame and he is now a healthy boy
with Autism. Being active in Neo-Fight was one way I decided I could help others who were going through their own neonatal
crisis. I am an active Neo-Fight Listener, been past secretary and most recently was the Crisis Line Coordinator. I feel Neo-Fight is
different than most support groups in that it promotes healing and getting past the crisis that you have experienced.
Katie Smith
Secretary
I have been involved with Neo-Fight, since the loss of my son, Charles, in 1999. I called Neo-Fight for support shortly
after losing Charles. Current President, Michie Sebree, called me within ten minutes of paging the crisis line at a time
when I was desperate to talk with another parent that understood such heartache. In 2000, I completed training to become
a Neo-Fight Listener and trained volunteer. I have since helped Neo-Fight in various areas of peer mentor support. I am honored
to continue serving Neo-Fight as Secretary, assist our communities and most of all support families experiencing a perinatal
crisis.
Mandi Gard
Crisis Line Coordinator
I found out in July 2002 that I was expecting J In
March 2003, I gave birth via c-section to my beautiful daughter. Fast forward 2 years. In 2005 we decided that it was time
to add to our family. In July, I knew that I was pregnant with my second child. I miscarried and had a D&C on August 11, 2005. I remember what I was wearing and when we got home, my clothes were burned, not
washed. I wanted them out of my house and out of my sight. I stayed home
from work on Thursday and Friday. Friday a nurse called me to ask how I was
doing and invited me to a support group meeting at the clinic. I did not go
at first because I could not believe that this could/had happened to me. I received calls and letters from that nurse for a few months and then it all stopped. In October, there was a memorial service at a local cemetery that I attended. It was emotional but uplifting at the same time.
For a while I debated on if I wanted another child or not. I knew that
I did and I did not want my daughter to be an only child, so we discussed another baby.
We did not plan on getting pregnant so soon, but by Christmas 2005, I was pregnant again. When I found out that my due date was August 18, I asked the Dr. if it would be possible to schedule
my c-section for August 11? He
stated he did not see a problem with that. So August 11, 2006 our youngest daughter,was
born. At the time of my miscarriage, my boss and a dear
friend/co-worker were also expecting and we would have been due January, February and March.
They went on to have healthy full term pregnancies while I was silently grieving.
When I found out that I was expecting in December, my boss told me “I hope this one turns out better for you
because the last time, you made everyone around you uncomfortable”. As
if it was my fault.
I did not call NEO-Fight
for support, I emailed them for information on helping others like myself. I
am glad that I did because I am ready for this remarkable journey.
Marcus and LaCole Fleagle
Board Members
We are both nurses, LaCole is currently an oncology
nurse, and I am a nurse for an Early Head Start program. We found out we were expecting in November of 2012,
this was very exciting for us since we had been struggling with infertility for around 2 years. We went through a very
active healthy pregnancy for 9 months, with lots of little kicks, hiccups and moving around. We were scheduled for an induction
on 6-11-13. When we arrived to hospital, the nurse was unable to find a heart beat, the physician came in with an ultrasound
machine and that is when we found out that our little baby boy Jakoby Anthony had passed away. We spent the
next VERY long 12 hours with family and friends waiting to see Jakoby. He was stillborn weighing 10lbs and
2 oz, 22 inches long, with headful of hair. We held a memorial service shortly after, where he was taken by firetruck,
to the cemetery. We had a custom Batman headstone made and placed at the gravesite, because that was how we decorated
his nursery, and he is our little superhero. We have had great support from family and friends, but not
many have experienced such a heartbreaking loss, so it is hard for them to find the words for comfort, and we discovered that
for many people it is hard for them to even listen. I reached out to Neo Fight, because through the grieving
process, we felt like we needed to share his story and support others that have also been struggling with the
loss of a child.
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