Stitches of Love: Donated hats keep babies warm and cozy in SJRH’s NNICU
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Amari, who was seven weeks old and weighed almost three pounds at the time of this photo, has a collection of seven fashionable hats.
Know the symptoms. Is it the flu or a cold?
On a quiet morning in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU) at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital, a tiny girl named Amari yawns silently and closes her eyes. As she rests in an incubator, a hand-knit white hat with a purple pompom keeps her head cozy and warm.
fashionable hats. They’re pink, blue, purple, red and a fluffy silvery grey.
she keeps busy by knitting hats and quilts for babies in the NNICU.
In the NNICU, all the babies have handmade hats and blankets – and that’s thanks to the generosity of a few anonymous, nimble- fingered angels. One of those secret knitters, a woman who has been making hats for babies for more than three decades, recently turned 100 years old. The big-hearted centenarian didn’t want to be identified, interviewed or celebrated, but she did tell us her middle name.
“It gives her great pleasure to know she is helping out,” said her daughter, Joanne. “It also gives her something to do.” In the NNICU, nurses store dozens of adorable new hats in plastic bins until they are needed, and a cupboard is stocked with neatly folded handmade quilts. Kim Aker, the nurse manager on the NNICU, said staff is grateful to Charity and other volunteers for these adorable gifts for babies. “Without the kindness and generosity of these people, we wouldn’t have any of these things to pass on to the families,” she said. “These handmade hats provide a more ‘homey’ feeling for the babies and their families.”
Symptom Fever Headache Aches and Pain Weakness Extreme Fatigue Sniffles or Sneezes Sore Throat Cough Complications
Influenza (Flu) Frequent, usually high, lasts 3-4 days Frequent (can be severe) Frequent (can be severe) Modest to severe, can last up to 1 month Frequent (can be severe) Sometimes Common Usual (can be severe) Pneumonia or worsening of underlying medical conditions which can be life-threatening
Cold Rare Rare Rare Not common (mild) Not common
Amari, who is seven weeks old and weighs almost three pounds, has a collection of seven
Fittingly enough, that name is Charity.
Common Common Sometimes (mild to moderate) Sinus or ear infection
Charity lives in Smithtown, near Hampton, in a house built long ago by her ancestors. Her family said she is in good health, and
This big-hearted centenarian has been making hats for babies for more than three decades, and recently turned 100 years old.
Blankets and hats made by various volunteers (none pictured were made by 100-year-old knitter, but by various other amazing volunteers).
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