An Omaha couple is turning tragedy into triumph after losing their son to a rare form of meningitis earlier this summer. The family is now working with local doctors to find a way to help save other babies' lives in the future.Tom Grady and Lindsay Grady had a son on May 8, 2015, two days before Mother's Day."Eli was born perfectly healthy," Tom Grady said. "Everything was great."After the family arrived home, things changed quickly."The next morning he wasn't eating," Tom Grady recalled. "He just didn't seem hungry."The couple took Eli to the hospital right away; the joyous celebration just a few days before turned into a scary situation. Doctors discovered Eli had a rare form of bacterial meningitis."They kept telling us that it's just as rare as being struck by lightning twice," Lindsay Grady said.An MRI revealed Eli had no brain function and died days later, but in the midst of the tragedy, the Gradys found a way to help others. Doctors asked if Eli could be part of a study that would help make a device using transcranial doppler ultrasound, which monitors blood circulation in the brain."If it saves one baby's life and saves somebody from experiencing the heartache and pain of losing your child, then it's worth it," Lindsay Grady said."One thing is we need a special fixation device that is designed for children and is also suitable for the operating room or the intensive care unit," University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of biomedical engineering Greg Bashford said.The device appropriately will be called ELI, short for electronic link interface.Pediatric Critical Care Physician Edward Truemper said by monitoring the brain 24 hours per day, seven days a week, doctors will be able to detect problems before they happen."It's not just about taking care of the child in front of you," Truemper said. "It's also important to expand the medical field that we can take care of many lives in the future.""Tom and Lindsay and Eli are the true heroes in this story," Bashford said. "Without them coming forward, this would not be taking place."The Grady's are thrilled."To think that people will be saying Eli's name through the device for years to come and he will be able to help so many other babies and children -- it's great," Lindsay Grady said.Tom Grady and Lindsay Grady continue to honor their son by supporting technological development. They're trying to raise nearly $26,000 to donate to the study, hoping the research and ELI machine will save lives in the future.If you'd like to help, you can donate online at www.aneveningforeli.com or stop by any First National Bank branch and make a donation to the Eli Grady Memorial Fund.