Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Big brother Charlie and baby Sam
At a routine obstetric appointment when she was 26 weeks pregnant, BWH's Stephanie Shine, RN, was shocked to learn she had severe preeclampsia and would need to deliver her baby immediately. She says her first thought was, "Just get me to the Brigham."
Based on eight years of working in the NICU, Shine knew that she and her premature son would be in the best of hands once there. But unlike most parents of preemies, she knew exactly what to expect, what to hope for and what to fear most.
"From the beginning, I could imagine what every single day would be like in the NICU," Shine said. "I knew my colleagues could save his life. I could visualize the nurses and doctors that would take care of him; my comfort and confidence level with them were so high."
Sam, now a healthy nine-month-old, weighed just one pound and two ounces at birth in July 2013. He spent 101 days in the NICU, overcoming many obstacles along the way, including extended periods on oxygen, surgical procedures, feeding tubes and emergency resuscitations.
"I have nothing but profound appreciation and admiration for my 180 NICU colleagues every single day," Shine said. "It is a lot of pressure to take care of a baby as sick as Sam. I owe my life, and Sam's life, to them."
The experience inspired Shine to get involved with this year's March for Babies-the March of Dimes' annual walk supporting healthy mothers and babies. Since March, Shine has raised more than $16,000 for the hospital's team, the BWH Strollers.
This year's 3-mile walk, which will be held May 10 beginning from the DCR Hatch Shell in Boston, marks the ninth year the BWH Strollers have participated in the march and NICU family reunion. The top corporate fundraising team in the state for the past three years, BWH's team set an ambitious fundraising goal of $58,000. The team has raised nearly 75 percent of this year's goal to date and more than $200,000 since 2005.
"The whole team has rallied behind Stephanie and her family," said Paul Hughes, administrative director of Pediatric Newborn Medicine. "She is an incredibly gracious mother, nurse, and now, fundraiser."
Shine says baby Sam is "meeting his milestones" at home, including breathing on his own, smiling and laughing at his big brother, Charlie, who is 2 years old. She is invested not only in helping those families who endure the trauma of premature birth, but also in seeking a cure for why babies are born early in the first place. Because of her personal experience, her investment in the missions of the NICU, the OB service and the Labor Floor are "tenfold now," she says.
"I look at Sam every day and wonder how I could have been so lucky," she said. "I didn't know what his first year would be like or if he was going to get sick again. My husband and I are blown away by how well he's done. This experience has caused me to love my career even more because I never fully appreciated the heartache of watching your baby in the NICU as a parent. I have a newfound passion to guide, help and deeply connect with families of preemies."
To learn more or support the BWH Strollers, visit marchforbabies.org/team/bwhstrollers.