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Lucinda Murphy and her husband, Sean, didn’t know how they were going to handle their newborn baby’s admission to the BWH NICU at the same time their daughter was admitted to Children’s Hospital for a lung infection related to cystic fibrosis.
But looking outside the NICU window, Lucinda saw a sign that reassured her—a poster that hung in her daughter’s room across Shattuck Street. Murphy realized she had a clear view of Amanda’s window from the NICU.
“No one really planned it. It was sheer coincidence, or just someone looking down on us,” said the Abington mom.
The coincidence spurred a series of creative communications between the NICU nurses and eight-year-old Amanda, who wasn’t able to visit her baby brother because of her illness.
First, Amanda posted “Hi Zachary,” and the NICU nurses responded “Hi Amanda,” followed by a colorful display of letters that read “My Big Sister Rocks!”
“Amanda was really excited to see the signs,” said Murphy. “It’s been tough on her not being able to meet her baby brother, but knowing he is just across the street has been very comforting for our family.”
Social Workers and members of the AudioVisual team stepped in to help introduce Amanda to Zachary via Skype.
“It was heart-warming to hear Amanda say to her brother, ‘I’m your big sister...open your eyes,” said Susan Berliner, LICSW, NICU social worker.
“Everyone has gone above and beyond to make our stay better,” said Murphy. “It has made an ordinary hospital stay and a really difficult situation into something that we’ll remember, and we couldn’t be more thankful.”