104. Monika and Chima Onwuka - A Family Story
Monica and Chima Onwuka are proud native Memphians who first met while attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and reconnected again in 2020. After years of building their life together, they were married in 2022 and soon stepped into their greatest joy—parenthood.
Their first child, Micaiah, was born on June 3, 2023, at Baptist Women's Hospital. Two years later, they received a surprising and exciting blessing. Nehemiah and Neriah were born on June 11, 2025, at the same hospital as their big sister. However, their arrival came much earlier than expected at just 31 weeks of gestation, and both babies were immediately admitted to the NICU.
Because of Tennessee state guidelines, Nehemiah remained in the NICU until he reached 35 weeks. Meanwhile, Neriah faced significant feeding challenges and struggled to meet discharge requirements. She remained hospitalized for 80 days, a period filled with uncertainty, emotional strain, and overwhelming stress for the Onwuka family. On August 30, 2025, Neriah was finally able to come home, marking a deeply emotional and victorious milestone for their family.
Through this journey, Monica and Chima gained a firsthand understanding of the challenges many families face during the perinatal period. Their experience opened their eyes to critical issues such as postpartum depression and anxiety, preterm birth, low birth weight, infant mortality, birth trauma, pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, limited access to quality prenatal and postpartum care, breastfeeding difficulties, and pregnancy or infant loss.
Motivated by their story and the stories of countless other families, they founded the Grind City Cares Midsouth Race for Perinatal Awareness, a family-friendly walk/run taking place on June 6, 2026, at Shelby Farms Park. Their mission is to bring awareness, resources, and community support to families navigating the perinatal journey—because no family should walk that road alone.
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