This page is dedicated to funding gifts to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, Ohio. If you’d like to partner with us, please know that ANY gift matters – no amount is too small. A $2 set of crayons or a pack of tissues might be exactly what a NICU family needs right now.

We’d also like to encourage you to consider a gift to the Good Sam NICU as a proxy gift for Kaitlyn. She received immeasurable gifts from the NICU and it’s benefactors, many of whom she’ll never meet. There’s someone just like her in a NICU somewhere right now. Our goal is to be a helping hand on their journey.

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Our Story

Our daughter, Kaitlyn, was born on June 4, 2020 – 7 weeks before her due date. There’s nothing to prepare someone for walking into a routine appointment and hearing that your baby needs to come out that day because her heart rate is staying too low for too long. That is how that hazy Thursday morning started for us, though. We will never forget sitting in our room at Good Samaritan Hospital and staring at each other with a mix of awe and terror as nurses and doctors prepared to take us to the operating room. It would be the last moment we’d feel alone on the journey of joy, fear, uncertainty, frustration, and miracles that was about to unfold.

That’s when a doctor from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) came in and explained that while this situation wasn’t normal, it wasn’t unique, and Kaitlyn’s post-birth prognosis was good. The doctor who would deliver Kaitlyn, who we didn’t know until that moment, explained what would happen and then made a point to say that this wasn’t Kristen’s fault – Dr. Hoffman will never know how much those words meant to us.

Once we got to the operating room, the Good Sam staff made everything seem normal. They were calm, professional, and reassuring. They made sure one of the scariest moments of our lives was also one of the happiest. Miraculously, all 2 lbs., 6 oz. of Kaitlyn Woock was here. She was both beautiful and frighteningly small, but her vitals were good. She was off the Good Sam NICU, where she’d get the best care in the world.

It would be 3 months before Kaitlyn would come home. Over 2 of those months would be at Good Sam, before she was transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Our family grew by more than one during that time. A world-class care team explained the process to get Kaitlyn ready to come home, and called everyday with progress. Nurses made art for Kaitlyn’s suite and decorated the NICU for holidays. They cared for Kaitlyn like their own, they hugged us on the hard days, and chatted with us about anything other than hospitals on good days. They became part of our family that summer, especially when COVID prevented us from seeing our close relatives and friends like we wanted.

We also constantly received gifts from people we didn’t even know. These people just wanted to share their love and encouragement with us, including former NICU families who knew exactly what we were experiencing. These gifts included progress cards, journals to track the ups and downs, and books to read to our baby girl when we visited. These things meant the world to us by bringing moments of sweet normalcy and homeliness to a time when we didn’t know when our child would be ready to come home with us. Now that Kaitlyn is home, we read her the same books. We can’t wait to read the journals with her someday, too.

It's our turn to give back now. We’ve never forgotten the Good Sam NICU staff – we still keep in touch with some of them! We know they are still working daily miracles, even when it takes a huge toll on them. We know there are families going through what we did, and even worse. We know what a difference gifts both big and small mean to the NICU staff and families. Whether it’s a donation toward improved lounge areas for extended families, books for parents to read, or snacks for the staff, it all says “we see you, we’re here, and what you’re doing is both really hard and of the highest importance”.

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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is not where anyone expects their pregnancy journey to end. Whether after the birth of a baby or multiples born premature, during or after a baby's NICU stay, after a diagnosis of a child's special health care need, or in the event of a loss, the Good Samaritan NICU Care Team is here to offer encouragement and support to our families. Your valued donation can provide the following resources which aid in teaching families how to parent in an Intensive Care environment while also facing the stressors of their lives.

Travel & Accommodation Assistance

Baby's basic needs: clothing, bottles, nipples, diapers

Support resources: Gas cards and restaurant gift cards

Light meals offered to families during education nights

Holiday celebration events

NICU reunion Picnic

Crafting Days for moms and dads

Bereavement Memorial & Remembrance Resources