NICU families deliver new fund-raiser
By Kathleen Folkerth
GREATER AKRON — A group of parents with firsthand knowledge of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is planning a fund-raising walk to help the littlest of the hospital’s patients.
The first Walk for Babies is planned for Sept. 23 at the Akron Zoo. The walk is being organized by the NICU Family Action Collaborative Team (FACTS), a group of parents and hospital staff members who want to improve families’ experiences in the NICU.
Sam Snellenberger, of Kent, is
the coordinator of the walk
along with his wife, Shelby. He said the couple didn’t
know much about the NICU until their newborn daughter,
Amelia, ended up there after her birth in January 2006.
“She was full term, and
there were no indications that there would be anything
wrong,” Snellenberger said. “When she came
out she got very, very sick, and all of her major organs
were starting to shut down. They ran hundreds, maybe
thousands, of tests on her.”
Doctors were never able to diagnose
what it was that afflicted Amelia, but she improved,
and after 28 days in the NICU, was released.
Snellenberger said he and his
wife were impressed with the care they received at Akron
Children’s Hospital. When Amelia first entered
the hospital, he said they asked friends and doctors
if she should be moved to another facility for better
care. The consensus was that she shouldn’t.
“My wife and I obviously
were very touched by the care we received there,”
Snellenberger said. “From the time we were in
there we were trying to think of something we could
do to repay the generosity of the people in the NICU.”
Kim Firestone, neonatal outreach
educator at Akron Children’s, said about 550 babies
a year are treated in the NICU. The unit has a capacity
of 59 but averages about 33 a day.
She said the families involved
in NICU FACTS are an asset to the hospital.
“They are just inspirational,”
Firestone said. “They are so enthusiastic, and
they give us such good ideas to make things better.”
After the Snellenbergers got involved
in NICU FACTS, the idea for the walk was explored, and
members began planning for the event. The group’s
goal is to raise $1 million in five years, with a goal
of $100,000 for the first year.
“We are hoping to raise
lots of money because we are starting to do a NICU family
area,” said Jennifer Gump, of Goodyear Heights,
vice chair of NICU FACTS. “Right now the waiting
area seats eight people.”
She said the group would like
to establish a library and play area for children to
make it easier on families.
Snellenberger said funds might
also go for the purchase of equipment for the NICU.
Some of the details of the walk
are still being worked on, but Snellenberger said it
would probably be a half-mile
to one-mile route on a paved, flat surface, so that
it will be easy for families with children and strollers.
The zoo was chosen as the site because it is family
friendly, and organizers also plan to have activities
like face painting and other entertainment for children
at the site. Registration will begin at 8 a.m., and
the walk will begin at 9 a.m.
A Web site for the walk is forthcoming.
In the meantime, Snellenberger said those interested
in the Walk for Babies can contact him at (330) 414-0259
or via e-mail at ltfdreb
bin@aol.com for details.
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