New dad to shave beard if he raises $1K for Beaumont Miracle Network

(WJBK) - A Detroit area dad is ready to shave his beard if you help him raise $1,000 - he's doing it to help the hospital that helped when his family needed it most.

Mike Dutkewych said that he and his wife Christie Kocis panicked finding out doctors had to induce labor at 34 weeks because of a relatively rare condition.

"I was a little panicked," said Christie. "I developed preeclampsia."

A pregnancy complication, according to Christie, usually in the third trimester. 

"It's a condition they think affects the placenta, and it can cause high blood pressure, and in extreme cases organ failure,” she said.

But luckily for Christy, and her husband Mike Dutkewych, none of that happened. 

In fact, Christy delivered Roman, a 4 pound, 9 ounces, 19-inch baby. The story is not really about little baby Roman, it's about his father Mike - and that beard.  

"This is my accidental beard," he said.

Mike stopped shaving nine months ago - when Roman was born.  

FOX 2: "Do you want him to shave it off?" 

"If he wants to do that that's fine," Christy said.

So Mike and Christie came up with an idea - shave off his beard, but for a cause.  

"We were at the NICU at Beaumont Hospital," Mike said. "Which is a unit before nine months ago, I didn't even know existed. We had a really wonderful experience with the amazing staff at the NICU. They took what could have been a very scary, difficult time for our family and made it manageable, and helped us in ways we couldn't thank them enough."

So a GoFundMe has been set up.  He will shave off the beard if I the money is raised up to Tuesday, June 19.

"You can donate any amount and it's all going to go to this amazing worthy cause," he said.

There may be another reason to shave the beard.

"My kid is loving the tug-of-war game with the beard and I lose every time," Mike quipped.

To donate CLICK HERE and all the money will go to the Royal Oak Beaumont Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.