Hospital spreads holiday cheer for patients away from loved ones

MILWAUKEE - The holidays can be tough for many and even more challenging for families in the hospital.

Ascension Columbia St. Mary wants to spread cheer so that patients away from their loved ones can feel a little more comfortable, too.

Inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), you’d expect to see parents wrestling with their nerves.

That’s not the case with Mary Carr. At least, not anymore.

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"Just having a baby in the NICU, like, your nerves are going to be sky-high," Carr said.

After losing her first baby, the Milwaukee mother had twins in the NICU in 2019 before having another son.

She returned in September for the birth of her fourth child, who came three months before her due date.

"She weighed one pound, eight ounces when she was born," Carr said.

She's been under the care of doctors and nurses like Jamie Kaczmarek ever since.

"They really feel like family," Carr said. "They do their job well."

"That is the ultimate compliment a health care worker can get," Kaczmarek said.

This time of year, Ascension always decks the halls. But the holiday spirit doesn’t stop at the tree.

"A lot of patients are having the hardest days of their lives in the hospital, and some of them don't have family or friends," RN supervisor Annie Vogrinc said. "And so, we're their family and friends."

Back in the NICU, Carr is ready to head home. She knows her journey with baby Journee is as good a gift as any.

"Having a premie is never easy, because the chance of survival is 50/50," Carr said. "But with them and my God, it's really been a journey."

Monday, Dec. 18 marks Journee’s 100th day in the NICU. Family hopes she can be home around New Year’s Eve.

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Nurse care managers said even a small piece of Christmas spirit can really lift a patient or family member’s morale.