iCAN Parents
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Parents and Guardians of any child of all ages that want to support the youth voice.
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Families (siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents) of any child of all ages that want to support the youth voice.
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Committed to the iCAN Mission.
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Creating and participating in opportunities to support pediatric healthcare excellence.
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Engaged throughout their local community, nationally, and globally.
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Seeking support through project participation, speaking experience, networking, and educational opportunities.
Meet our Parents!
Deborah A. Discenza, MA
Deb Discenza gave birth to her daughter at 30 weeks gestation in 2003. From day one she was thrust into advocating and never looked back. Whether it was her starting the
award-winning Preemie Magazine in 2005 or co-writing The Preemie Parent’s Survival
Guide to the NICU and launching PreemieWorld, she saw a huge void in parent education in and out of the NICU, especially in underserved communities. In 2020 she Co-Founded the Alliance for Black NICU Families, a non-profit providing racial and health equity in the form of a free wearable breast pump. In 2023 she founded and is the Executive Director of PreemieWorld Foundation, Inc., providing equitable access to patient education in the form of like-minded books and long-term outcomes data for premature infants into the geriatric years. Also in 2023 she founded and is the Executive Director of the Books for Healing Partnership, Inc. going nowhere no one else can with patient education in the form of a children’s story to be used in all forms of healthcare. When not doing all of that, Deb serves or has served on numerous boards and committees including the International Neonatal Consortium, the National Coalition for Infant Health, and NICU Parent Network as well as the International Children’s Advisory Network and Kindred 360.
Jennifer Degl
​Jennifer Degl is the mother of four, including a micro preemie who was born at 23 weeks gestation, and the founder of Speaking for Moms & Babies, Inc. Her mission is to educate the public on maternal and neonatal health issues. She is the author of three books and several articles in the Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Perinatology, Frontiers in Pediatrics,and more. Jennifer is also a passionate public speaker, an active member of the International Neonatal Consortium Leadership Team and the co-chair of the International Children's Advocacy Network Parent Chapter. She serves on the Board of Directors for both the NICU Parent Network and the NIDCAP Federation International. Jennifer is the creator and coordinator of Maria’s Hope, the NICU parent mentor program at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center in NY. Jennifer has been a high school science teacher for 24 years and believes education is the key to health care reform.
