Family, friends sew blankets for neonatal unit Donating meant a lot to mother

By Mike Koury
The Saginaw News

MERRILL, Mich. (AP) — Lori Frollo’s connection with Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw began in December 2013 when her daughter Bethany Sysak’s twin babies were born seven weeks early.

After spending time with the babies while they were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, at Covenant, Frollo wanted to do something nice for the unit that affected her and her family so much.

She and a group of friends get together every month and do something as a group. Frollo proposed sewing at least 50 blankets to be used to cover the isolettes premature newborns are placed in after birth.

Frollo told The Saginaw News that being able to donate something to the NICU meant a lot to her.

“There were constant babies being moved in and going to different rooms,” she said, recounting the time she spent in the NICU with the twins, Claire and Cole. “I can’t control helping with babies and I think that’s what the hardest thing is.

“It’s my baby having babies, and having them born early. I had no control. And this is the only thing I can do to kind of help, I guess,” she said.

Clinical Coordinator for the NICU at Covenant Stephanie Meyer said the babies need the blankets to have their surroundings be dark, quiet and calm for their physical and neurological development.

“To have those little things for those babies is really nice,” she said. We just really appreciate it.”

Sysak said they are making a total of 60 blankets for the NICU. $350 was donated to the group to purchase the materials to make the blankets, with any extra money to be used to purchase clothes for the newborns.

The blankets could have any design on the front of them, only the bottom-side needs to be black to keep light from getting inside, Frollo said. Some of the designs include animals, sports and polka dots.

Frollo said she just wanted to give back a little bit to the NICU for all the work they did while the twins were hospitalized.

“It was a whole different experience for all of us,” she said. “We’ve never been through that. And it’s very emotional.

“I can’t do everything, but if I can just donate a few blankets and make it better for them, I think we all need to help out some place.”