Pay It Forward - Sonny Born

The Need

When Hudson Glover Born came into the world on September 28, 2022, he was welcomed by his moms, big sister Luey, grandparents and extended family and friends in Rochester, N.Y. Nicknamed “Sonny” right away, he had people rooting for him across the country.

“Jen’s parents are old family friends of ours,” explains Jay Starks, a senior loan officer at Bell Bank Mortgage. “I always tell people, ‘If you want to come out to Arizona and visit, we’ve got room.’ And no one ever takes us up on it.Jen and her partner Carey did. Before they had little Sonny, they came. We spent some time with them personally, did some hiking. We got to know them.”

Jen and Carey saw the light, strength and potential in the sunny personality of Sonny, born with Down Syndrome. From the start, they were ready to celebrate their son’s special qualities – and help him face a raft of physical challenges as well.

“This whole thing unfolded where their son had Down Syndrome, and then he needed a heart surgery at like six months old,” says Jay. “That was terrifying.”

In spring 2023, Sonny underwent open heart surgery and spent more than 100 days in the hospital.

“Just a whole bunch of complications started happening,” relates Jay, who kept in touch with the Borns from afar and decided to start a “pool” of Pay It Forward funds as a way to help out. “They were under so much financial pressure at that point. Jen had completely quit her job, and Carey was working probably a fourth of her normal hours.”

The Impact

“I really expected mostly my teammates [would contribute],” Jay recalls. “Surprisingly, it was all strangers, and it just kept coming.”

Eventually, the pool would total more than $13,000. “It blew my mind,” adds Jay.

For Jen and Carey, the Pay It Forward gift reflected not just hope for Sonny, but the generosity of people they had never even met, who wanted to help. Everyone seemed to fall in love with the smiley baby who was always such a fighter, showing resilience after each setback.

“They’ve said over and over how there’s no way they could have got through this without all the help they got,” Jay says. “It’s kind of one of those, it takes a village … I think the family’s attitudes and Sonny’s resilience have really been a big part of it.”

Sadly, Sonny’s journey on earth ended on December 18, 2023, when he died in his mothers’ arms. With his resilient and happy personality, he had been Sonny and sunny, rolled into one – a legacy that his parents say will never be forgotten.

“We have to be open to recreating a new relationship with our child,” wrote Jen. “I will forever be open and willing to cultivate this new form of parenting, from afar, by sharing his story and paying his love and kindness forward.”

Through the Pay It Forward program, Bell gives employees money each year to donate to people in need and causes they care about.