ARVADA, Colo. -- An Arvada mom is grateful to be alive for her first Mother's Day after a health crisis hours after she gave birth. A milk bank stepped in to help get her baby breast milk while she got better, and now she wants to give back by encouraging other mothers to help.
Before Kelsey Danker gave birth last June, her health seemed perfect, but just hours after her son Bodhi came into the world, her world came to an abrupt halt.
"About 14 hours after giving birth is when I had my seizure," said Danker, who discovered she had a tumor the size of a golf ball on her brain. "I was like, 'What are you doing? Where am I?' I forgot I had a baby. It was crazy."
While doctors prepped her for surgery, they said she probably would not be able to continue to breastfeed during the long recovery.
"I was determined despite hearing that, and that's where my mom and step mom came into play," Danker said. "And they would come into my room in the ICU and pump milk for me."
At first, though, Danker wasn't producing enough milk. and that is when Mother's Milk Bank stepped in.
"To be able to help her baby when she was going through so much, and she was this determined mom," said Laraine Lockhart Borman with Mother's Milk Bank.
Danker's determination paid off; Bodhi is now 11 months old, and she is still nursing him. She is healthy, too, and for her first Mother's Day she wants to encourage other nursing mothers to donate their milk.
"If you have extra, donate. It's a huge help, and it's so meaningful," she said.
Mother's Milk Bank has helped almost 1300 babies like Bodhi in the last year, and is the largest milk bank in North America. Women interested in donating milk can contact Mother's Milk Bank at 303.869.1888 with questions or visit the website at www.milkbankcolorado.org.
For more information, including common myths and frequently asked questions about donating breast milk, click here.