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A Flight to Therapy for Babies Born Too Soon
Jessica Carman, a nurse, with Allen Bennett, the pilot of the helicopter, called Sky Bear.
(Photo: Alice Reid -- The Washington Post)
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Less than 2 1/2 hours after the call came in, the team had returned, and the infant was safely inside a sophisticated incubator that is about as close to a uterus as anything mechanical can be.
Most of the time was spent not in the air but at the Southern Maryland hospital, where Carman and her colleagues stabilized the child and took the baby to see his parents. It's an important step, Carman said, for the bonding that goes on, regardless of the circumstances of a baby's birth.
"We realize this is a baby born to a family," she said. "And the family is important to the baby."
With the help of modern medicine and the devotion of the Children's Hospital staff, many premature babies manage to continue the miraculous process that has been interrupted and go on to thrive.
Carman says that's another thing that keeps her coming to work.
"It's great when a really sick baby grows, and leaves, and then comes back to see us. You know you've contributed to that family and made a difference," she said.
How to Help
Sky Bear is available to any area child, of any age, who needs it. That's why we've launched this effort to raise $500,000 for Children's Hospital between now and Jan. 18 -- to help the hospital cover the cost of that generosity.
To donate, send a check or money order payable to Children's Hospital to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390. That's the post office box of our bank, Chevy Chase. All funds go to Children's Hospital.
To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions. All gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
