The Miller Claire Foundation is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide pediatric patients and their families with comfort and normalcy during their hospital stay. Our mission is to provide custom, medically accessible gowns to pediatric patients, at no cost to them, during their stay at pediatric intensive care units at local hospitals.
The Miller Claire Foundation not only understands the medical complexities of these hospital stays, but also the emotional complexities that arise from walking such challenging roads. Our goal is to support patients and families in such a way that this one small difference in their journey becomes a source of hope and encouragement.
Published on Fox Carolina: Mar. 18, 2024
“Upstate mom honors daughter by helping others after sudden loss.”
Ashley Latham, started a foundation to honor her 17-month-old daughter, Miller Claire, after her sudden death last August.
Creating pediatric gowns with children and parents in mind creates a more positive hospital experience. Specifically designed for medical procedures, privacy, and emotional wellbeing, provides an impact that creates procedural support, socialization, and emotional support.
More than 3 million children are hospitalized in the United States every year. In 2021, there were 450 cases of SUDC; 249 cases being 1-4 years old. So roughly 1 in 100,000 incidences. On August 6, 2023, Miller Claire became one of these children, and this experience is why The Miller Claire Foundation was created.
Join us for our inaugural Miller Claire Memorial Golf Tournament at The Thornblade Club as we raise money for Miller Magnolia as we build a legacy for our beloved Miller Claire.
Miller Claire was born on March 8, 2022, a perfect 6 lb. 12 oz. baby girl. Always happy and easy-going, with a signature bow in her hair, Miller Claire loved being outdoors. She loved riding in her stroller, watching airplanes in the sky and picking leaves, especially magnolia leaves. She loved to eat, dogs and her momma. “The Wheels on the Bus” was a favorite sing-along and Goodnight Moon ended each night, always pointing out the tiny mouse as she scrunched her nose on each page. Her dolphin-like laugh was contagious, as was her crooked little cross-bite smile.
Miller Claire was just 17 months old when she passed away unexpectedly from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), but her smile still lives on through this community.
On August 6, 2023, Miller Claire went into cardiac arrest during her nap time. Her mom, sensing something unfamiliar about her sleep via the baby monitor, immediately rushed to Miller Claire to find her not breathing. After performing CPR until EMS arrived, a heartbeat was revived before transporting her to the hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, Miller Claire’s stats were stable, and she never lost her heartbeat again. However, during the first 15 hours of her hospital stay, her brain stem herniated due to the lack of oxygen, and eventually she would be declared brain dead.
