LEHI, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Owlet, Inc. (“Owlet” or the “Company”) (NYSE: OWLT), a pioneer of smart baby monitoring, is on a mission to raise critical funds for research that could bring an end to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Owlet is partnering in this effort with Dr. Carmel Harrington, Honorary Research Fellow at Sydney Children's Hospital Westmead, and Elisha Palmer of Knox Blocks Foundation, both of whom are parents that have lost a child to SIDS.
Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), which includes SIDS, claims the lives of more than 3,000 babies each year in the U.S. alone1. The rate of SIDS is on the rise in the U.S.2 – making it one of the leading causes of infant mortality3. Despite this, there is minimal education, funding, and attention for this global health crisis.
Dr. Harrington, who lost her son to SIDS more than 30 years ago, made a significant breakthrough last year by identifying a potential biomarker in babies who passed away from SIDS. The next phase of her team’s work is to identify the array of biomarkers that can determine which babies are at a higher risk of SIDS, with the end goal of developing and providing access to preventative screenings for every baby.
“As a doctor and a mom who lost a baby to SIDS more than 30 years ago, it’s infuriating that the rate of babies dying from this has not changed in almost three decades, yet the funding available for research into why this happens pales in comparison to other areas of research funding,” said Dr. Harrington. “Last year, we made immense progress in the field of SIDS research, but we did not find a cause. It’s crucial that my team and I continue to build on the findings we have to find a clear cause, and in the near future, significantly reduce the number of babies who die every day due to SIDS.”
In honor of SIDS Awareness Month, Knox Blocks Foundation, along with other nonprofit partners, have launched a GoFundMe campaign to directly support Dr. Harrington’s research with the objective of raising $150,000 by the end of October to finish the next leg of her research and help specifically pinpoint infants at risk of SIDS.
“After I met with Dr. Harrington for the first time I walked away with a feeling I hadn’t had since my son died – and that is hope,” said Elisha Palmer, Co-Founder of Knox Blocks Foundation. “Hope is something that easily gets lost when your life is impacted by SIDS, and that’s when I knew we had to help in any way we could. By raising $150,000 to continue Dr. Harrington’s research, other families around the world might not have to go through the pain that our family and countless others experience when they lose a baby to SIDS.”
During the month of October, Owlet is donating 5% of all sales made globally on OwletCare.com to this project in support of Dr. Harrington’s research. Along with providing direct funding, Owlet supports parents of loss through various Owlet Cares initiatives. These programs include Owlet’s Nursery of Hope nationwide initiative to plant trees in honor of babies who are gone but never forgotten, partnerships with and 3:1 product match program for nonprofit organizations, and charitable support including our most recent milestone of donating $1M in product and monetary donations to advancing infant and maternal health.
"Owlet believes that no baby should die unexpectedly in their sleep and we are determined to raise awareness and advocate for more research in this area,” said Kurt Workman, Owlet CEO and Co-Founder. “This and every month, we invite parents and caregivers to join us and participate in a historical movement to end SIDS. We will not stop fighting for change until every new parent has the knowledge, tools, and education they need to avoid a loss due to SIDS.”
To contribute directly to Dr. Harrington’s SIDS research, go to www.gofundme.com/f/a-world-without-sids-make-an-impact-today. To learn more about Owlet’s mission and to find other ways to get involved, please visit www.owletcare.com/sids-awareness.
About Owlet, Inc.
Owlet was founded by a team of parents in 2012. Owlet’s mission is to empower parents with the right information at the right time, to give them more peace of mind and help them find more joy in the journey of parenting. Owlet’s digital parenting platform aims to give parents real-time data and insights to help parents feel calmer and more confident. Owlet believes that every parent deserves peace of mind and the opportunity to feel their well-rested best. Owlet also believes that every child deserves to live a long, happy, and healthy life, and is working to develop products to help further that belief. To learn more, visit www.owletcare.com.
About Dr. Carmel Harrington
Dr. Harrington, a former lawyer, originally trained as a biochemist. Her son, Damien, passed away from SIDS more than 30 years ago, and Dr. Harrington has since committed her life to trying to find the cause of his death. In 2022, she found that 88% of babies who died of SIDS had a lower level of an enzyme connected with autonomic function. Her study was the first to identify a biomarker in SIDS infants prior to their death and presents a possibility that with further research, infants at risk of SIDS could be identified in their newborn period. She is currently planning her future studies which will include proteomic and metabolomic investigations – with her ultimate aim being the development of a test that will effectively detect an infant’s vulnerability to SIDS and integration into newborn screening programs.
About Knox Blocks Foundation
Knox Blocks Foundation, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Mark and Elisha Palmer after their son, Knox Owen Palmer, passed away from SIDS. After losing their son, Mark and Elisha wanted to do everything they could to prevent other families from feeling the pain they experienced from their loss. Their desire to do this led them to create the Knox Blocks Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing Owlet Socks to as many infants as possible and supporting SIDS research. To learn more, visit www.knoxblocks.org.
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