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SUNNY Temp: 91 °F Wind: NNW at 6 mph Thursday, August 29, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend July 8, 2002 Jennifer Spielbusch hopes to raise money for a memorial bench at Siskiyou Memorial Park in honor of her baby daughter, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli In loving memory White City mother seeks to erect granite bench to memorialize victims of SIDS By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune A White City mother who lost her baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome wants to raise money for a lasting memorial to her daughter and others who died too soon. Jennifer Spielbusch, 25, hopes to raise at least $3,000 to erect a granite bench in honor of her baby, Madison Elaine Poe, at Siskiyou Memorial Park in Medford. Born March 19, Madison died suddenly in her sleep on May 26. Doctors attributed the death to SIDS, which claims some 3,000 children in the United States each year. "If people could see how pretty she was, maybe they’d be more willing to help," said Spielbusch, an amateur photographer who took dozens of photos in her daughter’s two months of life. Neither Spielbusch, who works in a local clothing store, nor the baby’s father, Jeremy Poe, a 24-year-old cabinetmaker, can afford the cost of the cemetery bench, which would replace one damaged by lawn equipment. The concrete slab for the missing bench is about three feet from Madison’s fresh grave, in a segment of the cemetery dotted with tiny headstones. "When I come to visit my baby, I have no place to sit," Spielbusch said. "I would like to do this in honor of Madison and all the babies." The young mother of two other daughters, Kristen, 6, and Marissa, 4, Spielbusch believes the bench would provide what life didn’t — lasting evidence that the baby they called "Boo" was here. "It would just make us feel better," she said. "I don’t want people to forget." Proceeds for the bench will also benefit the national SIDS Alliance. The organization provides medical research and information about the disorder that remains the No. 1 cause of death for infants from 1 month to 1 year of age. Spielbusch knew as much about SIDS as any experienced mother when Madison was born, a healthy 6-pound, 7-ounce baby girl. "You know about ‘Back to Sleep’ and all that," said Spielbusch, citing the program that urges new parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs to reduce the likelihood of SIDS. Since 1992, when the Back to Sleep program was implemented, the SIDS rate in the United States has dropped 42 percent, according to the alliance Web site ( www.sidsalliance.org ). Early on May 26, Spielbusch fed Madison a 2 a.m. bottle and then put her back to sleep — on her back. The young mother woke with a start at 7 a.m. and rushed to the baby’s crib. "She wasn’t breathing, and she was so pale," Spielbusch said. Resuscitation efforts failed. Doctors could find no cause other than SIDS for the baby’s death. "I keep hearing they just forget to breathe," Spielbusch said. That’s a difficult diagnosis for young parents whose baby daughter seemed perfect. "She was so healthy; she was so good; she never cried," Spielbusch said. "It was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in my life." Donations for the bench can be directed toward the Madison Poe contribution account at any Wells Fargo Bank. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S