A mother of three in the United States has spoken of how she carries the guilt of not buying a potentially life-saving device for her baby boy who suddenly died in his sleep.
Elisha Palmer put her son, Knox, to bed on December 20, 2016 with nothing out of the ordinary.
"He was completely healthy. He just went down for a nap and didn't wake up. There was nothing that would have been a red flag. We did everything we were supposed to do," she told PEOPLE.
It was determined Knox, who was only three months old, died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The 36-year-old writer from Iowa said she had heard about an advanced baby monitor that tracks a baby's heart rate and oxygen levels.
She considered buying one, but didn't.
"I had two older kids who were healthy. I didn't think this would happen to us," she said.
"I carry that guilt of why didn't we get one.
"I feel like if he had one there is such a good chance he would be here with us and so our ultimate goal is that no baby goes without this device."
The device, an Owlet Smart Sock, gives parents an alert to if there is any issues with their child's sleeping and the Palmer's believe it could have helped save their baby.
Ms Palmer and her family also raised more than NZ$45,000 to buy the devices and give them away to other parents to help prevent any further cases of SIDS.
When the company who makes the product heard about the Palmer's situation they jumped on board and matched dollar-for-dollar with what they'd raised.
So far, more than 100 devices have been given away.
"A friend of the Palmer family reached out to share their story. Our hearts broke hearing about Knox," Owlet's CEO Kurt Workman told PEOPLE.
"No parent should experience that grief and heartache. We were, and still are, so touched and inspired to see all that the Palmers were doing to honour his memory."
The family now also runs a foundation in Knox's name called the Knox Blocks foundation, which aims to give "families peace of mind for their little ones."
Newshub.
