I See You NICU is an organization started by NICU mom, Jennifer Sesniak, who saw the lack of available support in the experience of parents with preemies who stay in the NICU and wanted to do something to fill the need. 

The statistics are alarming and going in the wrong direction.

• 1 in 10 U.S. babies are born preterm -- a statistic increasing yearly and is one of the worst among high-resource nations. 
• As many as 60% of NICU parents experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 
• On a positive note, 98% of babies survive the NICU due to the latest care and technical developments.

After what seemed like a picture-perfect pregnancy, I went into premature labor at 28 weeks. Logan arrived fast and furious in an operating room filled with doctors and nurses at 2 lbs, 8 oz, and 14 inches. He breathed on his own, a blessing given the laundry list of potential possibilities. Whisked away to the Wolfson Children's NICU for an 81-day stay.

"The experience of seeing my tiny, fragile baby in a plastic box with wires connected everywhere, depleted all my strength. I thought, is this my fault, did I eat healthy enough, and why did my body fail me? "

This inner dialog sent me into the darkness of postpartum depression and anxiety with PTSD symptoms. I lost what being a first-time mom should look like and found there was no help on how to navigate my mental health, work life, insurance questions, or any sense of normalcy.

NICU professionals provided extraordinary care and were patient but our new normal meant permission had to be granted even to hold Logan. Depending upon his condition, some days we couldn't. I’ll never forget the alarms and late-night phone calls we hoped would never come, but day by day, Logan grew stronger, achieving milestones that seemed like mountains!

Today Logan is a strong-willed, happy four-year-old. We still reflect upon our journey as if no time elapsed. "We appreciate how lucky we are -- we could have used more support beyond one lone Facebook group. We didn’t know who to turn to for help during this time. I now know none of this was my fault, but we want to make sure others benefit from networking with those who share their experiences."

Unfortunately, the road of being a NICU parent doesn’t end at discharge. Our experience became the inspiration for I See You NICU, whose mission is to develop a network of past, present, and future NICU families. Also providing support, awareness, and education to our community. The goal this year is to grow our support network and build relationships with hospital NICUs to improve the process and patient outcomes.

Interested in getting involved or supporting the cause? You can share, like, volunteer or donate. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Let's all support the NICU community better. Remember, I See You NICU really does see NICU families.

​When someone asks, “What are you?”, my response is usually - I’m an American.

Proud and bold. But of course, one can be many things. With a little more context, you may find out that I am a husband, a father, a Texan, and a photographer.

I have been married to my lovely wife, Rebecca, for over 14 years. She is my best friend, my trusted advisor, and my voice of reason. She motivates me to be more and to be better at everything. She is the definition of a muse.

I have been blessed with two incredibly wonderful kids. Young, healthy, and curious - I couldn’t ask for better children. Their joy and humor is a constant uplifting light in my life.

Born a Texan, I’ll always feel a sense of pride tied to the Lone Star State, but after moving to the DC area for a few years, and after living in Florida for 5 years, I’m happy to say that I’m hopeful to stay in St. Johns for a very long time. St. Johns has become our favorite area by far. The location, the climate, the people… I feel that my family and I fit right in.

I was always the artistic kid growing up. My favorite toys were sharpened pencils, a clipboard, and a stack of blank paper. I grew up knowing I wanted to do something artistic but never really knew what that was until my senior year of high school. I was introduced to graphic design and found it was a great way to express my creativity. Photography came out of necessity during my graphic design work. I did not have access to the images that I needed in order to complete the projects at hand. A company I used to work for purchased a Canon DSLR camera, handed it to me, and said “I’m sure you can figure it out.” From that point on I read blogs, I watched YouTube videos, and I watched other photographers.

​Years later, I was lucky enough to work alongside other talented photographers. It quickly became my primary source of creative expression to where I have almost left graphic design work completely behind. 

Photography is just another outlet for creating something from nothing, and impacting the viewer in a different way. 

After photographing families, weddings, pets, and many other genres, I have found that commercial and stylized portraiture are my passion. Commercial photography allows me to solve an issue by figuring out the best approach and expressing the message that the client needs. Stylized portraiture gives me the opportunity to photograph many interesting people and visually creating a concept or an emotion. 

To sum it up, Jessica Huffman once wrote, “Ozzy is an editorial photographer that captures his subject’s energy leveraging their individual strengths and interests. His ability to curate the perfect image communicates creativity, vibrance, and drama that speaks to the proper audience,”

In 2023, I will be setting specific business goals in order to grow. A friend of mine often says, “Goals that are not written down are just a wish”. Go, write them down, but be realistic. One completed goal is better than no goals reached. Make smaller, more obtainable goals, and hold yourself accountable.

As a small business owner, I will be making more of an effort to find the clientele searching for my style who have an appreciation for my type of imagery. My style is not for everyone. It has taken years for me to be comfortable with that. I feel any business owner should find that following and focus on that group of individuals. Build your own brand by doing what you love, how you love it. 

Learn from the past, but focus on the future. I wish you the best at the start of this new year. From my family to yours, we wish you nothing but success and happiness!