OUR STORY

Reema was born prematurely on October 3, 1997 weighing in at just one pound, four ounces and 11 inches long. Before dad could arrive in the emergency room with his medical suit on, Reema had already entered the world. She was immediately hooked to several IV's and taken to the intensive care unit.

 At nine days old, Reema had to be air lifted to a nearby children's hospital for an urgent surgery. Two months later, another surgery followed; she was at risk for losing her eye sight permanently.

Mom and Dad finally brought Reema home when she was three months old. She weighted four and a half pounds.

However, right when those tiny feet were about to experience the joy of walking, Reema suffered the tragedy of her life: She broke her leg bone. Not knowing how this injury occurred, and devastated for the agony their infant daughter was experiencing, Reema's parents took her to the hospital, where she was treated for fracture.

Despite all the physical and emotional turmoil that life had brought her, Reema had a spirit that was inspiring and unseen. It was her ability to keep smiling in the face of adversity that inspired her parents and made everyone love her even more. Reema would get excited from the smallest gesture, from balloons to going to the park or the beach.

These moments filled her with the wonderment of life. Mother Mita, Father Nick and younger Sister Ridhi share countless, priceless memories with Reema in midst of all the afflictions and uncertainty.

On January 8, 2014, Reema took her last breath. The same year her sister left home for studies. Mom and Dad were left devastated and lonely. They could not see the purpose of their lives anymore, or how to move on.

The Patel's were relieved, thinking they had passed through the most difficult storm of their life. Reema was growing happily, like any normal child.

During her short life of just a little over sixteen years, Reema suffered multiple fractures. She was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Osteopenia, and Autism. Some of her surgeries would span eight hours. A rod had to be placed in her bones to minimize fractures. She also had to be on a feeding tube. 

Each year during Reema's life, the Patel's would celebrate their daughter's birthday with her classmates. They continued this celebration each year after her passing, in hopes of reliving those precious memories of their daughter.

In 2016, Reema's parents donated notepads to her classmates. Watching the classmates' joyful reactions, they found themselves reminded of their daughter's face, beaming with delight. The Patels had found their purpose, and this event marked the inception of the Reema Foundation. 

The Patels decided to continue revisiting Reema’s spirit every day by facilitating priceless moments for disadvantaged kids. The Children are given experiences that are otherwise undervalued, seen as ordinary,  and taken for granted by so many of us in everyday life. To these children, otherwise ordinary experiences become priceless.