A surprise donation arrived on Susan Cacciavillano’s desk one day in 2012. It contained a few hundred dollars’ worth of gift cards, including to Wawa, Babies “R” Us, and Chick-fil-A. It came from a couple whose baby had been in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Chester County Hospital. In lieu of birthday gifts for their one-year-old, the couple had asked their party guests to bring a gift card for a couple or a parent who had a preemie in the NICU. “It really was such a generous and thoughtful thing to do,” recalled Cacciavillano, who is clinical manager of the NICU and of the Pediatric Department, a way to support others enduring what can be a disconcerting and lonely experience.
Since then, other parents have made similar donations. The gift cards — ranging from $5 to $50 — are for almost anything that would be useful to new parents who are spending the bulk of their time in the NICU, including fast-food restaurants, gas stations, or even Amazon. Cacciavillano always writes a card to accompany each gift card that’s given out, explaining that it comes from someone who’s walked in their shoes.
Some parents have followed in the footsteps of the original donors, collecting gift cards in lieu of birthday gifts. Others will drop off one or two when they return to the hospital with their infant for a checkup. Occasionally, parents will include a letter of their own, describing their experience in the NICU and assuring the recipient that they’ll get through it too. Cacciavillano passes this along to the recipient as well.
NICU nurses distribute a gift card to every couple or parent in the NICU. “It’s not something we’ve solicited, but we’ve never run out.” The cards with the higher amounts are usually reserved for the parents whose infants are expected to spend longer time in the NICU.
“The parents don’t ask for them. This isn’t something we’re advertising,” she says. “It’s just a simple act of kindness.”