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The Birth of TwinsMichele Landis’ medical miracles are named Julianna and Lillian, born nine weeks premature at Abbott Northwestern’s Birth Center in 2000. The twins were immediately rushed next door to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital and Clinics – Minneapolis, where Julianna had two heart surgeries. Because Landis was recovering from her own surgery, she was unable to visit her newborns.
“It’s a devastating feeling when you can’t be with your babies, especially when they’re really sick,” said Landis. “Fortunately, Abbott Northwestern had pioneered a system called BabyLink that allows new moms to see their critically ill babies through a closed circuit cable system between the Birth Center rooms and the NICU. Although I couldn’t be with them physically, I could see them. Also, the NICU nurses used to put up little sticky notes with the girls’ daily accomplishments and milestones. The nurses’ thoughtfulness helped me keep in touch with their progress and feel less isolated from their daily lives.” When Landis later learned that BabyLink was not available in all Birth Center rooms, she took on the expansion as her cause. She and a friend started a jewelry business, designating a portion of each sale to the BabyLink expansion project. The two also joined with other members of the Birth Center’s Parent Advisory Council to spearhead support for BabyLink. Their efforts raised the $45,000 necessary to extend the system to all Birth Center rooms, the Special Care nursery at Abbott Northwestern and the new rooms created as part of the NICU expansion at Children’s. Her intention is to continue to use Legacy as a vehicle to raise funds for worthy causes. “And when my girls get older, I’ll help them use the company to raise donations and awareness for their chosen causes,” she said.
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Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation
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