In Loving Memory of Nicole 💜

Written by by Nicole Koglin

A Story Gifted with Love, Shared in Gratitude.

Today, we honoured the incredible impact Nicole made on so many lives and I am deeply grateful that one of those lives was mine.

Twelve years ago, Nicole was one of the pioneering ReadyStepGrow parents, with her Tiny Prem, Sullivan. Years later, when Sullivan started school, she gifted me a beautiful handmade book and story she had written as a reflection of her time at ReadyStepGrow.

The story below was her gift to me. It captures her humour, her insight, and her fierce love for lifting others up, especially those whose voices are too often unheard. I share this story now, with gratitude and in her memory.

The Little Known Consequences of Undiagnosed FOMO

written by Nicole Koglin

Dedicated to Princess Simone, the champion of our happily ever afters.

Once upon a time...

Not so very long ago, there lived a princess called Simone. Sadly, Princess Simone had a very serious condition that affected her each and every day. Sometimes it was so bad that she'd lie awake at night, unable to sleep.

Princess Simone's parents had worried about her from a very young age and would often cry when they wondered what was to become of her.

Poor Princess Simone had a condition called FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). She was always anxious that she would miss out on something, and she just didn’t know why. It was so bad that even while she was doing other things, she'd be thinking about trawling through social media to see what everyone else was doing, just in case.

A heart for little ones

Princess Simone was a special nurse who worked in a hospital caring for little babies who were born too early and needed lots of help. She loved her job, but she was always worried she was missing out on something else.

Princess Simone was also a mummy of two beautiful girls who were the light of her life, but still, she worried about missing out.

Then one day...

While caring for a tiny baby in the hospital, Princess Simone began wondering:
What happens when they go home? Would they be okay after being born so early?

It made her sad to think that she couldn’t go with them to protect and help them in the big wide world.

So she started reading, lots and lots of important books and papers, about what might happen to babies born too early as they grew up.

The more she learned, the more she worried.

What if they missed out?

Would they miss out on doing well at school because they needed extra help?
Would they miss out on walking or running well?
Would they miss out on enjoying a big party without feeling anxious?
Would they miss out on singing beautiful songs if they couldn’t say all their words properly?

And then Princess Simone started worrying about the parents of the prems, too.

Would they miss out on the joy of being parents because they had a sick baby?
Would they miss out on having someone to talk to who understood?
Would they miss out on playing with their babies because they were too scared they might hurt them?
Would they miss out on the information they needed to help their babies grow?

Poor Princess Simone’s head was spinning.

There were so many things they might all miss out on.

A new kind of FOMO

All of a sudden, Princess Simone realised something:

It wasn’t just her FOMO that was keeping her awake at night.

Well... maybe just a little, nothing will ever completely cure that. 😉

But what was really worrying her was something different.

It was her FOMO-FP, Fear Of Missing Out... For Prems.

A new land

So Princess Simone set about creating a wonderful new land,
A place where prem babies and their families had access to lots of support,
Lots of information,
Lots of therapies,
Lots of Lycra swings,
And most importantly,
Lots of love, acceptance, and understanding.

And they all lived happily ever after thanks to ReadyStepGrow.

For Nicole, thank you for championing me, as I champion prems. You will be forever in my heart. 💜