MultiCare Deaconess Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit is supported by donor generosity to help families like the Jacksons access care for their fragile newborns.
Michael “Mike” Jackson and his father-in-law had a rule — call once, and Mike won’t answer if he’s busy. Phone three times, and Mike will know it’s an emergency. Their rule came in handy 11 years ago when Mike’s wife Heather went into premature labor.
“I remember that day in early January — I was at the office, and my father-in-law called [three times],” Mike says. “He would go to doctor appointments with [Heather]. I had two clients in my office when I picked the phone up. He said, ‘Drop whatever you’re doing; you need to get to the hospital. You have a very impatient daughter who wants to come into the world a little early.’”
Indeed, Hadley Jackson was ready to make her appearance six weeks early.
In late December while Hadley was still in utero, the Jacksons learned she had difficulties growing at a healthy rate. So, when Hadley arrived and was, according to Mike, “a tiny little thing, looking like one of those miniature footballs,” she was rushed off to the donor-supported Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital.
Mike Jackson with his daughter Hadley at the Deaconess NICU.
That night, Mike stayed at the NICU until about midnight, when he left to care for their almost 2-year-old son Joe. Soon after, nurses came to Heather’s bedside.
“The sweet nurses came in and had a wheelchair [ready for me] to go into the NICU,” Heather shares. “I got to hold Hadley. We just sat there, and it was the most beautiful moment. What a gift the staff made happen for me. It was a traumatic experience but made less traumatic by the care and the professionalism.”
Getting to know the NICU team and nurse Gayle
During the next 15 days, Heather and Mike would become well-acquainted with the neonatologists, perinatologists (physicians specializing in high-risk pregnancies), nurses and other staff caring for the newest member of the Jackson family.
“They were constantly giving us moments or information to keep us positive and moving forward,” Heather explains. “Whether it was, ‘If she can drink one more ounce today’ or ‘If she did this on her own, that’s a big milestone,’ those little victories felt comforting and empowering and were tremendous.”
The Jacksons were determined to feed Hadley themselves every three hours, so they divided up the schedule and were assisted by nurses like Gayle Rains, LPN. Originally a bedside nurse, Gayle has now been at the NICU for 25 years. She’s currently the discharge coordinator, setting up outpatient appointments and arranging any follow-up that’s needed.
“Gayle did an unbelievable job,” Mike says. “I’m a goal-oriented person — I like to see the finish line. Gayle was able to do that [for us].”
“Mrs. Gayle helped my mom through everything she was going through,” adds Hadley, now 11. “When I was needing help, she told my mom everything’s going to be OK. And that helped my mom a lot. It means a lot to me that she helped my mom.”
Giving back to ’born babies
Hadley Jackson today with her brother Joe.
A decade later, Hadley has a fighter spirit thanks to those early days with her NICU team. She gives her all while guarding in basketball games and tackles her homework with fierce resolve.
Her parents have also taught Hadley and her brother what it means to have a grateful heart. Every December, the Jacksons visit the NICU bearing gifts of appreciation for staff and supplies for families who have experienced an emergency delivery.
“When you come in every single day to the NICU, you start to recognize not only are there needs within the NICU, there are unbelievable nurses and staff who need to be shown appreciation,” Mike says. “There are also families in there not as fortunate. It was a no-brainer that we needed to do something for the NICU.”
That first holiday season, Mike and Heather brought items for the unit and gift bags for families, along with coffee gift cards and other treats for staff. Remembering how their own family stepped up when Hadley was born, they began putting together bags of essentials to show other NICU parents they weren’t alone.
At age 2, Hadley noticed her dad and mom assembling these bags.
“She said, ‘Mommy, who are these for?’” Heather recalls. “I said, ‘We’re going to take them to the newborn babies at the NICU.’ And she says, ‘All the ’born babies?’ So, we started calling it the ’born babies tradition.”
Hadley Jackson pictured with Gayle Rains, LPN, during a recent ’born babies delivery.
“On Christmas Eve, we gather it all together,” Heather continues. “This is truly a team effort with extended family, and we rally around what we’re doing for the staff this year. It’s diapers, it’s wipes, it’s onesies … it’s whatever you can contribute. We wanted to surround the unit and the families the way we felt surrounded and loved in our time of need.”
Ensuring NICU access for Inland Northwest babies born prematurely like Hadley, or those with serious medical conditions, is made possible by donor generosity. Despite the many NICU parents facing barriers to care, such as being underinsured, MultiCare Deaconess Hospital — supported by the MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation — strives to provide access for all.
