by Christine DeSouza
It was a normal pregnancy for Lisa Boger, and 2-year-old Max was looking forward to being a big brother. Daddy Greg Boger, M.D., watched over his healthy wife, knowing how hard it had been to have Max and now this little one. When Lisa and Greg wanted to start their family it had taken two years to conceive Max. All had gone well, and Max arrived at a hefty 8 pounds, 14 ounces. The couple knew it would take a while to conceive a second time, and after eight months of trying, they decided to use Clomid, a fertility medication, for a boost, and it worked. Within one month, Lisa was expecting.
Jacob came into the world just a bit smaller than his brother — at 7 pounds, 10 ounces — but was healthy in every way.
“He had a healthy appetite though,” said Lisa, who breast-fed him.
By the time he was 10 weeks old, he had doubled his weight. Yet, everything was normal.
Like many first-time mothers, with Max, Lisa had worried about SIDS – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, SIDS was far from her thoughts with Jacob.
“I never thought in a million years it would happen to me,” she said. “I don’t even know anyone who has lost a child to SIDS.”
However, one morning, Lisa went in to check on Jacob, and he was not breathing. Still, she did not think it was SIDS. She immediately began CPR on her infant son, and he was rushed to Arnold Palmer Children & Women Hospital.
“The staff was just wonderful and supportive,” Lisa said.
Greg Boger, M.D. (left); and his wife, Lisa (right), create The Jacob Neil Boger Foundation after losing a child to SIDS — Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The couple is pictured with Jacob's older brother, Max.
Not considering SIDS, she was certain that Jacob was going to live. He was brought back several times through life support, however, after several hours, Greg and Lisa had to make the most difficult decision of their lives.
“Each time they brought him back, it was like he was having a heart attack,” Lisa said. “We just couldn’t let that continue.”
The life support was removed, and Lisa held Jacob in her arms, as she and Greg let him go. It was Feb. 26, 2006. Jacob was 10 weeks old.
Big brother Max had difficulty understanding where Jacob was and why he could not eat or play with him anymore. Again, the Arnold Palmer Hospital staff guided the couple as to how to talk to Max. Later, Max was afraid to be baptized, fearful that God would take him away like he took his brother. But Max now understands that Jacob is in heaven with his grandfather. When he and Lisa go to Publix Super Market, they always get two balloons, and Max releases one for Jacob. For now, it is a way to stay connected.
SIDS, an unexplained and devastating affliction, is an unspoken terror for parents of newborns.
The good news is that since 1983, the rate of SIDS has decreased 50 percent. Yet still, every year, about 4,000 infants under the age of 1 die in the United States. Even after autopsy, this culprit remains a mystery.
In order to inform the community and bring comfort to those who have suffered this kind of loss, the Bogers formed The Jacob Neil Boger Foundation to promote children’s health by supporting pediatric medical research and treatment. They have also set up a scholarship fund for students going into pediatric health care, and Greg is in the process of setting up a four-year full scholarship for a medical student. (Applications are available at www.jacobboger.org on the Web).
The couple also wants to form a local support group for parents who have lost a child to SIDS.
“There is no local support group for us,” Greg said. “We’d like to start something where mothers can meet face to face to talk or meet in groups. Often friends of someone who lost a child will find out about support groups and bring them.”
Another way the Bogers are helping is through a fund-raiser. On Oct. 6, the Jacob Neil Boger Foundation will hold its second annual golf tournament at ChampionsGate Golf Club, located at 1400 Masters Blvd. in ChampionsGate. Proceeds will benefit the Jacob Neil Boger Foundation. Last year’s event raised more than $50,000.
“Only a very small amount comes out to cover expenses,” Lisa said.
There have been two major studies about SIDS, both still not substantiated. However, one study in Boston discovered that babies who died from SIDS may possibly have had abnormalities in their brainstems.
Yet, the research is about 10 years away from finding what causes SIDS.
“That’s a lot of babies who will die until then,” Lisa said.
Preventative measures may help mothers-to-be. Women should have good medical care early in their pregnancies. Smoking and the use of illegal drugs increases the risk of SIDS. Pregnancy during the teen years has the highest risk of a baby dying from SIDS. Couples should also wait one year between a birth and the next pregnancy, and mothers who breast-feed their babies have a much lower incident of SIDS.
Babies who are less than 3.5 pounds at birth; have a sibling who died of SIDS; were exposed to drugs while in the womb; or have teenage mothers are at the highest risk of dying from SIDS.
Parents of newborns also should take note of the following precautions:
• When being laid down to sleep, babies should be placed on their backs on a firm mattress. There should not be any blankets or other coverings near the baby.
• Smoking should not be allowed in a house or car if a baby is in them.
For more information about the tournament, call Dr. Boger at (407) 592-5324 or Lisa Boger at (407) 592-7580; send an e-mail to to jnbfoundation@gmail.com or lisab@jacobboger.org; or visit www.jacobboger.org on the Web.
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