We are Heart and Sole - Meet Ashley Hardy Gregory

We are Heart and Sole - Meet Ashley Hardy Gregory

Written by Ashley Friday, February 03 2012

A nurse, a friend and a part of the Heart and Sole Family.

I am Ashley Gregory and this is what Heart and Sole means to me.

Heart and Sole came to be after a beautiful little angel came to live here on earth for just a brief time. Margaret "Bowen" McElreath touched our hearts from the moment she arrived in our unit at the Children's Medical Center. Ironic how she was tugging on our "heart" strings while all along it was her special heart that would inspire the beginning of an amazing foundation named for her. Sadly, Bowen was taken from us too soon but her beautiful memory stays very much alive through the wonderful work that Heart and Sole is able to do for other special children who find themselves in the Children's Medical Center in Augusta. I worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a nurse and cared for Bowen, I later became a nurse practitioner there. I have history with Bowen's family having attended high school with Bowen's mom, dad and aunt and just merely growing up in Augusta. You can imagine my horror to hear we were getting a transfer from Macon that was a possible ECMO (heart/lung bypass) candidate. My fears were realized when I saw our clerk Ms. Betty write out the bedside card with the name "Babygirl McElreath". I thought, "they don't deserve this, she doesn't deserve this". The days ahead were tense, full of small joys and ultimately sheer sadness & devastation. Bowen left a lasting impression on our unit, as did the enormous amount of love and support she had from her immediate and extended family.

When Stacey made the decision to begin a charity/foundation in Bowen's memory that would benefit future patients in the Children's Medical Center, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this. I feel so honored to have been a part of Bowen's short but precious life and I feel blessed to be a part of an organization that I can truly say gives back to an amazing place whose sole purpose is to better the lives of the children of the community and those surrounding. Having been a part of the Children's Medical Center family through my work there for the last nine years, I can honestly say that this money is so desperately needed to continue the amazing care that is offered and I can also say that this money goes directly to impact the chidlren. I have personally seen the medical equipment, computers, beds etc that have been purchased using the funds raised through this amazing event. So many times you donate money to something and you wonder, is it really going to get where I think it's going? Here, there is not a question. Stacey is 100% involved in where this money ends up and has a hand in deciding where these funds will be allocated, rest assured of that.

I hope that if you've never been a part of Heart and Sole that you will take this opportunity to step up and become a part of an amazing cause. The memories that you create will only be rivaled by the feeling you'll get knowing that you are helping children that really need it. What could be better than that? My family and I moved from Augusta last summer so unfortunately, I'm no longer working at the Children's Medical Center but I will tell you where I'll be ther 1st weekend in March... you guessed it! I'll meet you at the front circle for the 5K in the morning of the 3rd and then I'll see you on the dance floor that evening. You see this is ultimately a celebration of life, being thankful for our own & even for those who have gone before us. Let's come together and celebrate all the healthy children in our lives and give to those who are not.