Miracles in Small Packages
One of the most rewarding aspects of working with our Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) program comes in the form of small packages!
I have had the opportunity to meet with two families in the past few weeks whose lives have been touched by miracles through our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at CHRISTUS Lake Area Hospital. This NICU is a Level III NICU, meaning it is capable of caring for very small or very sick newborn babies. They have a wide variety of staff on site, including neonatologists, neonatal nurses and respiratory therapists, who are available 24 hours a day.
One of the families I met has five-year-old twin boys who were born at 23 weeks, 6 days. Many hospital facilities would not have been able to handle this type of premature birth situation. The doctors and nurses in the CHRISTUS Lake Area Hospital NICU gave all they had to ensuring these babies lived and thrived. As they near their sixth birthday, the twins are living lives full of love and goodness. Yes, they still have doctor visits. Yes, they still have issues to work through… but they are here, and their family is so very grateful to have them.
Over the next few months, I am going to be working with families who have experienced this NICU to tell their story. I can tell you now their stories are tales of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances and coming out as winners.
These families that experience our NICU are local. The parents might teach our kids, serve in our military or work in the medical field. They are our neighbors and friends. They all have one thing in common – they have all experienced the dedication, commitment and compassion of our NICU team.
As we move forward with our CMN efforts, we will be raising funds and awareness for new and upgraded equipment in this NICU as well as our full Labor & Delivery Unit at CHRISTUS Lake Area Hospital. Things like Giraffe Beds, Syringe Pumps and Milk Warmers are now at the top of our “wish list”.
We are so excited to have babies in our ministry again – and invite you to join us in supporting our efforts to provide them with the best quality healthcare in Southwest Louisiana.
If you are interested in donating to our CMN efforts today, please visit our website at www.stpatrickfoundation.org and click on the “Donate Now” button. Once on our donation page, you can select the service line to which you want your donation applied, including our CMN Neonatal ICU or CMN Area of Greatest Need.
You can rest assured that your dollars are making a difference for local families.