Using Her Craft to Save a Life: Natalie Bahm

My book, The Secret Underground, came out two weeks ago.  I’m donating 100 percent of the profits to the family of a little boy in Australia.  This is the story of how it all came about.

Two years ago I had my fourth baby.  It was a very difficult pregnancy and he was delivered early.  He spent the first two weeks of his life in the NICU, learning to breathe on his own.  Those two weeks were, without a doubt, the most difficult weeks of my life.  It tore me up inside having to watch my baby go through such a hard thing.

I blogged about some of the experience and many friends left comments of support and love.  One of these friends was a woman from New Zealand named Wen I only knew through blogging.  She mentioned that her daughter was having pregnancy complications and it was good to read about a baby who made it through the NICU okay.

A shared experience is a powerful thing.  The emotional toll of having a sick baby made me want to reach out to others in the same predicament.  I followed Wen’s blog closely as her grandson Jayden was born.  He started out just like my little guy—born early and needing a little extra help from the NICU doctors.  But as my baby got better and better, Jayden continued to struggle.  He had several lifesaving surgeries as he spent months in the hospital. 

They almost lost him multiple times over the next year. On top of that his parents were struggling to make ends meet.

I felt like I needed to do something.  I was a world away from Jayden, but he felt like family.  And, to be honest, I felt a little guilty that everything had worked out so well for my baby when Jayden was still suffering so much.  I kept going back to the Scripture “To whom much is given, much is required.”

So, I emailed my agent and asked if we could do a book for Jayden.  She thought it was a great idea.  The result is The Secret Underground.  My hope is that it will sell enough to relieve a bit of the financial burden Jayden’s parents face, and give them one less thing to worry about.

All profits from sales of The Secret Underground will go to the family of baby Jayden Huynh.  Jayden is a two-year-old with serious health problems. You can read more about the project here. The paperback version of The Secret Underground is available on Amazon.  The eBook can be purchased just about anywhere eBooks are sold.  The audiobook is available on Audibleand iTunes.

To view a short video about Jayden and the project, visit this site.