Happy Birthday dear Sean…Happy Birthday to you! Melodic sounds filled the air as friends and family of Sean McElroy sang Happy Birthday for her 7th birthday. But this was no ordinary birthday. In lieu of gifts, Sean asked for donations to benefit Magee’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
 April 27, 2008 marked the day of Sean’s 7th birthday celebration. Guests brought items like baby wipes in place of gifts to benefit the NICU. Fifteen little girls dressed in their Sunday best to attend the tea-party-themed birthday. When presenting the gifts to the NICU, a very bashful Sean realized the magnitude of someone her age making such a helpful contribution.
From the left: NICU staff Mary Kish, Katie Smith, Karen Ewing, and Kim Burke gather around Sean McElroy and her mother Dr. Susan McElroy, and her gifts to the NICU babies.
“Sean is an only child and she has a lot of toys,” states Dr. Susan McElroy, Sean’s mother. “She really didn’t need anything, so we came up with the idea to help those who really do need things. Helping newborn infants who are fighting to stay alive is very fulfilling. There’s no better place to donate to this cause than at Magee.”
“I was amazed when I heard about Sean’s generous donation to Magee’s NICU,” states Karen Ewing, unit director of Magee’s NICU. “The baby wipes will be very useful for the nurses and the parents who frequently visit their babies to utilize. It’s supplies like these that we use constantly, so to have someone, in this case a young girl, donate supplies like this is extremely helpful.”
“I was happy to help the little babies,” admits Sean. “My mom thought that Magee would be a great place to give to. I want to thank all my friends for bringing these donations to my birthday party because they will be used to help babies in need.”
Magee’s NICU features 48 private rooms, an enlarged area and a 15-bed open area, making it the largest single bay facility in the state. Over 1,400 babies, some born at 27 weeks and weighing only a pound, are cared for yearly in the NICU.
OUR COMMITMENT: Neonatology
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIVING: Neonatal Intensive Care
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