Blaine -- Another Miracle Boy!

Blaine was born January 2005. He was supposed to be born in March. His mom Chris had troubles through the pregnancy. When the doctors saw that Blaine was growing right, they decided it was time to bring him out by C-section at 30 weeks. His birth weight: 2 pounds, 1 ounce.

Blaine stayed in the NICU for 2 months and 2 days, a time Chris remembers all too well. She and her husband were both working and driving down to Sioux Falls from Madison every day.

Now you may think CMN is all about medical care, and it helps with plenty of that. But there are non-medical things that CMN helps with that make a huge difference for the families as well. Chris said her husband would get off work at 6 p.m. If they took time to fix a meal and clean up, they might not get on the road until 7 or 8 p.m. CMN provided meal vouchers that covered their meals in the hospital cafeteria. Free meals for Mom and Dad -- it may not seem like a big deal compared to high-tech, high-cost medical equipment and services. But when a couple free meals make it possible for Mom and Dad to spend a couple more hours a night with their newborn child, yeah, that's a big deal.

Blaine did well in the NICU. He needed the ventilator just the first day, and then his own lungs worked like champs. He didn't need any surgeries, just time to rest in the good hands of the nurses of NICU. And in March, he was ready to head home with Mom and Dad. he and his folks made it through fine, thanks to Sanford ("It's the best place to be!" swears Chris) and CMN.