October 27, 2020
At just 7 years old, a little girl and “preemie” baby is changing the lives of families and gaining national attention.
Born at 29 weeks, Addi Byrd spent the first two months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at TriHealth’s Good Samaritan Hospital. Now healthy and happy, Addi, her sister, Emerson, and their parents, Kate and Darrell Byrd, ask for donations to deliver books to the NICU at Good Samaritan each year.
“When we were here, we got gifts all the time and that really helped,” said Kate Byrd. “There is a NICU community that we didn’t even know existed.”
Four years ago, the family decided to pay it forward and help other families.
“Families sometimes feel helpless while we care for their babies in the NICU, but reading to them is something the parents can do,” said Christa Black, NICU Nurse Manager at Good Samaritan Hospital.
“We’re so appreciative of the hospital and of the staff. This is one way we can show our appreciation and help other families,” commented Darrell Byrd. “We just love it here.”
The Byrd family donated 300 “Cuddle Bear” books and 20 bags for the siblings of NICU babies, titled “Emerson’s New Sibling Essentials,” which includes crayons, coloring books and other activities.
“The sibling bags will mean so much to siblings who currently can’t come to visit their new brother or sister. It will make them feel included in this journey,” said Black, who gave the two sisters gifts to thank them for their generosity.
After seeing news stories about Addi and her mission, someone from the Kelly Clarkson Show reached out to feature them as part of the October 23 show. As a surprise to the family, the Kelly Clarkson Show and Scholastic are donating 5,000 books to the Good Samaritan Hospital NICU in honor of Addi and her family!
Good Samaritan Hospital’s 60-bed Level III NICU focuses on stabilization for babies born early or with medical problems and the ongoing care of critically ill babies.
Thank you to all of our team members who make stories like this possible!
Overall Rating: Comments:
How wonderful! Thanks for sharing this story. GSH NICU a wonderful department with team members doing wonderful things everyday!
Posted by: Amy Hayden on October 28, 2020
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