Local mother spreading awareness for Shaken Baby Syndrome

This week is Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week. One local woman is using the loss of her baby girl, to spread hope and is making sure her legacy lives on. We want to warn you that what you are about to read may be disturbing to some.

“I only had her for a short amount of time but those short three months changed my entire life,” says Kim Threet.

On April 5th 2003, Hailee was in her father’s care when he took her to the hospital.

“After a couple of hours it came to be that Hailee had been shaken, her retinas were completely detached from the back of her eyes. We had to fly her to salt lake and the next day they told me Hailee was brain-dead,” says Threet.

Doctors put Hailee on life support.

“The whole room began to spin. And I couldn’t breathe I felt like I was suffocating and I thought I was going to die because I couldn’t breathe. And he said we’re going to take her off life support and I said ‘could we wait for a miracle?’ and he said ‘I promise Kim there won’t be a miracle’ and I was sobbing and he said ‘We need to think of alternate plans,’ and I said, what do you mean alternate?”

That alternate plan, organ donation.

“And I looked at the doctor and said ‘that’s it.’ that’s what I’m supposed to do. If I can save another family from going through what I’m going through right now then I’ll do it, if that’s what I need to do that’s her job here, that’s the purpose of all of this. We were able to donate her heart and her liver to two different little boys.”

“Before the organ donation they let me hold her and I was able to listen to her heartbeat in this for the last time. And I’ve held onto it for the last 15 years hoping that maybe someday I’ll get the chance to use it on the little boy that has her heart and listen to her heartbeat again.”

Baby Hailee was able to save the lives of two kids and inspire her family.

“On the way here my daughter was saying that Hailee is her best friend. And they have a huge bond and she’s a huge part of our life and she’s set such a big example for our kids about what it is to give and they say she’s their hero.”

And Hailee memory will continue to live on.

“I’m just grateful that I got the time that I did with her and the role that she has played in my life and the example that she’ll forever be for me and my kids and my husband.”

Hailee’s father, who is not Kim’s current husband, was charged with second-degree murder and served time for Hailee’s death.

Kim threet says she plans to help others who have lost infants.