When Lindsay Huppertz’s daughter, Kyleigh, was born a month premature in 2019, she was sent to Hurley Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to get a little extra help with her start in life. During the few days she spent watching over her newborn at the unit, Huppertz thought about finding a way to show her appreciation for what Hurley’s doctors and nurses do for all the infants who need their support and care after their arrival. “I was thinking about what I could do and I noticed that the babies there were covered in blankets, especially those kept under the lights in incubators,” she says. “I decided that giving blankets would be a good way to help and give back.”
Kyleigh and Emma Huppertz
She got to work and immediately made an appeal for donations, asking for a $10 contribution to the cause. “A $10 donation allows us to make two fleece blankets for the newborns,” she says. “We were able to make 53 blankets our first year!” It takes Huppertz approximately 30 minutes to make a blanket. She is helped and supported in the project by her mother, Tracy Hensler. “I put out the call for donations in September and we start making the blankets in November but I really need to start making them a bit earlier, so I’m not rushing to get them finished for December,” she laughs.
“I decided that giving blankets would be a good way to help and give back.”
Each year, the project has grown (with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic). In 2021, she was able to contribute 100 blankets to the Hurley NICU and last December, delivered 125. “My second daughter, Emma, spent 11 days in the NICU this year,” she states. “While I was there, I recognized some of the blankets they were using as the ones I donated previously and it made me smile. I’ll keep making and donating blankets as long as they need them.”
When September rolls around this year, expect to see another call to action from Huppertz as she continues her project to help the preemies at Hurley. “It’s our way of giving back for everything that Hurley does,” she adds. “The doctors and nurses are so calm and amazing. I don’t know what parents would do without them. The blankets are also a gift for the parents to take home besides their miracle babies. We hope it is something the babies can grow up with.”
Last month Lindsay and her mom, Tracy Hensler, delivered 125 blankets to the Hurley NICU.
In September, Huppertz will reach out for donations on Facebook and other social media. A simple donation of $10 provides warmth and love to two newborns in the Hurley NICU. Donate and help a child start their life journey wrapped in love.
“The blankets are also a gift for the parents to take home besides their miracle babies. We hope it is something the babies can grow up with.”
