TWIN FALLS, Idaho — An Idaho mom donated 400 onesies to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. Kori Bowers delivered her twins three years ago.
“They were born seven weeks premature, and we spent 21 and 24 days in the NICU,” Bowers said. “While we were there, there was so many generous people that donated quilts, and people brought little treats for me and for the babies. It made such a hard experience so much easier to bare."
In return, she decided to give back. Bowers has a family member who owns a custom apparel shop. She bought and printed ‘NICU Graduate’ onesies and then donated them to the St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center.
The first year she donated 20 onesies.
“I have a friend that's a nurse there and she said that it was so overwhelmingly appreciated that all the parents and the nurses thought that was so fun,” Bowers said.
This year, she donated 400 onesies, which is about one year's worth of onesies.
“I knew that there were nurses there that were taking care of my babies like their own, and that they were cheering them on and trying to help them meet those milestones so that we could bring them home,” Bowers said.
Bowers said it is her way of paying it forward.
“The NICU is a very sacred place,” Bowers said. “The angels that work there are incredible, and it takes such a special person.”
Now, each time a child leaves the NICU, they will be a 'NICU Graduate,' and they will have the onesie to prove it.
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