POST FALLS -- Ayda Rose entered this world at Kootenai Medical Center with a 50/50 shot at life. Now her mother is turning a very scary moment in her life into hope for other parents.

Shanell Browand will tell you just how alone and scared she felt back in 2007 when her daughter was born and placed immediately in the NICU.

"She was born with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia where there's a hole in the diaphragm and her stomach and her intestines went up through the hold and put her heart over where her lungs were supposed to be," Shanell explained.

She and her husband Sam, so young and at the time, had no one to turn to during this very scary period in their lives.

"With her birth defect 50 percent of babies that get it... die," Shanell said.

Ayda hit rock bottom a few weeks into her time in the NICU. Shanell and Sam were faced with placing their baby in a machine that would breath for her. Miraculously though, Ayda's health made a turn around.

She spent 70 days in the NICU and underwent two surgeries during that time. In the end Ayda beat the odds and went home with her parents.

"The fact that she survived what she went through it really inspired me to help other parents," Shanell said.

With the help of the Project Sweet Pea organization Shanell started her own group called Ayda's Blessing.

With Ayda now 2-years-old and as active as ever, Shanell spends her days collecting donated items and putting together gift bags for parents of babies in the NICU.

"We have a baby blanket that we put in there, a little teddy bear, a sudoku puzzle for the parents...," Shanell said.

She'll take just about anything that would help parents that are basically living at a hospital, spending every waking moment worrying about their child.

When she stuffs the white bags with enough goodies she hand delivers them to the parents, and offers them not just the gift bags but also her heart.

"Sometimes you hear things you don't want to hear and it's just nice to have somebody there to hold your hand through it," Shanell said.

She does it because that's what she wanted when her daughter had a 50/50 shot at life.

"She's our little miracle baby we keep calling her, so that's why we named it Ayda's blessing," Shanell said.

Her group is small and Shanell is always looking for more help or donations for the gift bags. If you'd like more information about how you can help with Ayda's Blessing click here.