When NJ State Trooper, Detective Daniel Shalikar and his wife lost their first child, Shai, at thirteen weeks, it was devastating. They leaned on the support and assistance from family, friends, and each other to get through the difficult time. Since their loss, they brought a beautiful baby girl into this world, Molly, about ten weeks ago.
When the couple found out their good friends Josh and fellow NJ State Trooper Cassandra Pugh-Peditto were expecting a child who would have some medical challenges, they knew they wanted to help – reminded of the devastation of loss could be.
Cass gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on September 18, 2020 at one of the most difficult times in our country. Shae Réalta was 4.9 pounds at birth and was diagnosed with Gastroschisis. This birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall pushes the baby’s intestines outside of the baby’s body, exiting through a hole beside the belly button. They have been receiving amazing care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) since her birth and after several weeks of surgery and treatment Shae continues to slowly make progress.
Traveling back forth daily to the hospital, from their home in Hainesport NJ, adhering to stringent COVID measures so they can see their baby girl, has been a grind on the new family. Daniel wanted to make things easier for them – so he set up a Give InKind web page to support the family’s daily needs, including a meal train, so they would never have to think about anything but being there for baby Shae. He also sought monetary assistance, securing in excess of $15,000 from various associations, friends, fellow active and retired Troopers, and strangers.
In an outpouring of love for the new family, friends and loved ones immediately signed up through Give inKind to help. They were also able to update their family and friends in one central location without all the texting and phone calls.
“Providing this support through Give InKind channeled people to think about all the different ways they could help, it’s been incredible to see everyone rally.”
– Daniel Shalikar
The family is hopeful their daughter will come home in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, they are able to shower Shae with love each day to give her strength without worrying about what they need to do at home. As the weeks progress they will add things to their wishlist to help them transition home.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the support, truly," said Cass bedside at CHOP.
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