South Hills family collects diapers to honor their son Max

A South Hills couple is turning an unimaginable loss into a mission to help other families, one diaper at a time.

Nikki and Anthony Costulas were preparing to welcome their fourth child, Max, buying diapers and getting ready for life with a new baby. But Max never made it home.

After losing their son, the family found themselves with a nursery full of diapers and a painful reminder of the future they had imagined.

Anthony Costulas decided to put those diapers to good use.

"When we lost Max and we started thinking those diapers were sitting up there and making me very angry, it was just a bad reminder," he said. "I was like, 'What can I do with these diapers?' and 'Is there anything we can do to put them to good use?'"

That question sparked Max's Diapers, a family effort to collect diapers for babies and families who need them.

Today, the family's garage is packed with diaper boxes of every brand and size. There's not even room for a car.

Anthony Costulas has taken the effort beyond collecting donations from friends and family. He regularly bids on returned merchandise through MAC.BID, buying unopened boxes of diapers at a fraction of their retail price.

"I bought a lot of diapers in my life because I'm about to have my fourth kid, so I know how expensive they can be," he said. "Some can go for $50, and I've got them as cheap as $15."

After winning the bids, Anthony Costulas drives around the area to pick up the boxes.

"I walk through the halls, picking up 15 boxes of diapers and I see hundreds more. It's crazy," he said.

The diapers are sealed, unopened and in good condition, but have been returned to big-box stores.

"You bought an extra box of size 3 and your kid grew out of it, and you return it and then it just goes to a landfill and that's just so sad when there's kids out there that need diapers," Nikki Costulas said.

For Nikki Costulas, the drive has also created a way for the family to keep Max's memory alive and continue talking about him.

"I think it's great he took that energy and the sadness we experienced after the miscarriage and wanted to help other babies who didn't have diapers," she said.

Friends and family have helped fund the effort, with donations coming in through Venmo.

"It was fun to see all the Venmos come in from our friends saying 'Max's Diapers' and 'this is for Max,' and things like that, to still be able to talk about him," she said.

Now, the family is asking the Pittsburgh community to help them grow the drive.

"Right now, it's just money that is slowing us down," Anthony Costulas said. "If we get donations, then I am able to get those diapers."

Shell Roofing and Restoration has contributed money to the effort and donated a box truck. The family's goal is to fill it with diapers before delivering them to the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank in December.

"Shell Roofing and Restoration has donated some money to this cause, but also a box truck," Anthony Costulas said. "So our goal is to fill up that box truck. Right now, I have about 10,000 diapers. I think 20,000 to 30,000 will fill the truck."

The family's three other children are also part of the mission. Nikki Costulas is now expecting another baby and due later this month.

"Often I have to pick them up from school or somewhere, and I'll be coming from MAC.BID, so they'll be lodged between boxes of diapers, so they're very aware they have to climb over diaper boxes to get into their car seats," Anthony Costulas said.

The family plans to make the diaper drop-off together in December.

The diapers were originally purchased in preparation for Max's arrival. Although the family won't get to watch him grow up, they hope his legacy will help other babies and families.

Those interested in supporting Max's Diapers for Pittsburgh Families can find more information on Facebook.