GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Most parents know having children is not a cheap experience.
Cassandra Clover knows this firsthand. Her daughter, Isabell, was born six weeks early and spent two weeks in the NICU. At birth, baby Isabell was just three pounds, 14 ounces.
Now, Isabell is home with Clover, a month old and grown up to five pounds.
"She's my little miracle baby," said Clover.
Doctors put Isabell on a specific formula for her extra needs as a premature baby. However, it can become expensive.
"The cost of formula these days is so much," said Clover. "Especially this one, since it's technically for the preemies. It was like $80 for three cans."
Recently, Clover purchased some of the formula at a Grand Haven store. When she returned home, she found a surprise: $20 tucked under the lid of one of the formula cans.
"We need to tell the person, whoever did this, that we really appreciated that," said Clover. "I kind of had, like, a little postpartum moment and I cried. This is just amazing. It just made my day. We got more formula using that money too, and because she has to have special bottles that goes with the formula, I got extra of that. It was great."
Clover called the $20 "a blessing." Any extra formula she has once Isabell stops needing it, she plans to pay it forward and donate it to other moms in need.