Our Donor Stories
Charles R. Wood Foundation Gift Helps Albany Med's Tiniest Patients
It was the tiniest little smile, but it was there for certain. J.P. Woodley, all snuggled up and warm, must have been having a pleasant dream. Nearby, his mom Michelle watched and waited for her newborn son to awake so she could pick him up - - a contrast to just a few weeks prior, when all she could do was watch.
“His skin was like paper… paper thin,” she remembers. “I was scared to even touch him.”
Even then, she knew he was safe, cocooned in a Giraffe bed at Albany Med’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The long-necked, high-tech bed was a sanctuary for J.P. and premature babies just like him. These tiny patients can be monitored, kept warm, and undergo any necessary surgery all in the same place. It’s safer and easier for a family to spend time with their baby.
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| Charles R. Wood in Albany Med's neonatal intensive care unit, circa 1992. |
Partners like the Charles R. Wood Foundation play an important role supporting what the doctors, nurses and staff of Albany Med’s NICU do every day to provide expert and compassionate care for babies who sometimes are so small they would fit in the palm of your hand. The gift from the Charles R. Wood Foundation not only generously supports our mission, it also challenges other businesses to share their vision when it comes to providing for the children of northeastern New York and western New England.
J.P. Woodley was less than a pound and a half when he was born. The six-month-old has grown to more than 12 pounds. He’s starting to make cooing noises, and when he smiles, now, so does his mom.
