Saory was a tiny little girl. Arriving unexpectedly at only 26 weeks, she weighed 1 lb., 10 oz. and had a hole in her heart. For the first few months of her life, baby Saory’s home was the St. Francis Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a Giraffe Infant Warmer. The warmer provided her with a protected, controlled environment that allowed her to grow and gain strength. She received exceptional medical care as the hole in her heart closed. She was able to get stronger everyday and her mother was able to hold Saory in her arms and take her home.

The Giraffe Infant Warmer and the care that the NICU staff is providing are especially meaningful to Saory’s mother, Laura. She recounts that her husband’s uncle was born with a twin brother. The baby boys were premature, and the hospital did not have the technology to care for the both of them. It only had one infant warmer and the uncle was placed in it. His twin brother had to fight to try and survive on his own. Today as an adult, her husband’s uncle still thinks about the twin brother he lost in infancy.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, things are different now for babies like little Saory. “St. Francis Medical Center treated 732 newborns in its neonatal intensive care unit last year,” stated Gerald Kozai, President/CEO of St. Francis Medical Center. “Through this grant and the ongoing support we receive from Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California, we are able to couple advanced neonatal equipment and technology with dedicated, compassionate care from our team of doctors and nurses to help ensure that the tiniest life entrusted to our care, receives the best start in life for a full and healthy future.”

Thank you for supporting Variety the Children”s Charity of Southern California! Miracles happen every day…your big hearts help heal their little hearts!