Spring has sprung and so has the delivery to ACH! In total we delivered 38 hats, 56 flannel receiving blankets, 29 shirts, and 16 flannel backed blankets! And, with our April meeting coming up, we are going to be able to deliver even more by the end of the month! It is so very exciting!
This may be a recap to some, and may be new to others, but I want to take a moment and explain what we do and why. It is my prayer that this blesses you and encourages you to either be a part of us, or to find a way in which you can be more than you. Where God can use your talents and passions to make a difference. You will NEVER regret it!
At Arkansas Children's Hospital you will find the NICU which is a term many are used to and know. But, what you also find is the CVICU and that is a more foreign term for many. It stands for the Cardiovascular ICU. We are used to hearing about cardiac care units in hospitals for adults so the idea is not foreign, but to think about the unit for little ones is many times overwhelming. Babies born with heart defects is actually quite common. And, the CVICU at ACH is able to take care of all types! What they can do is completely amazing. I have seen them rebuild parts of a heart, an entire heart, transplant a heart, and all the other repairs and procedures in between. There are patients from all over the world coming because of what they can do. And, patients of all ages are in the CVICU because if even as an adult if your heart issue is from a defect, you get treated there! The staff at ACH is under immense pressure with having patients in such a very critical stage. Their efforts and love make the difference for the patients and their families. I don't know of more amazing teams!
Now that you know "who" here is the "why"! When you are a baby in the CVICU it is important to be able to have IV access. This is a given in the hospital. Most babies must have two IV access points to make sure one always works. So, this means there will most likely be one in an arm and then one in the leg or other location of the body. In addition, many of these patients have had open heart surgery so they have an incision down the center of their chest. It is a lot of wires and lines to work around, not to mention the daily x-rays and other procedures that must be done. The little shirts that we make are designed to go around ALL of this! This allows parents to put a little something on their baby. To have a "normal" moment and dress their little one. This moment is priceless. There is nothing else out there like this. The other items we provide such as blankets and hats are items that we know can be used by the babies/families of the CVICU. Flannel receiving blankets are used to cover the bed and give a pretty or fun bed for the baby to lay upon. Regular receiving blankets from the store don't fit the beds so we make blankets that do! Hats are just simply cute, and the other blankets we make are a little smaller than typical to fit in the bed with the babies.
It is my prayer this helps you understand why this ministry is important. And, why we hope you will make the decision to be a part of it as well. No matter your choice, I pray this ministry blesses you.
May your day be intentional and blessed so you can make the biggest impact in this world!
See you soon!
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