Alger County parents credit MGH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
for saving their daughter’s life

Foundation raising funds to purchase new NICU transporter

Becky and Jim Schierschmidt of Munising don’t have to be told how invaluable the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is at Marquette General Health System (MGHS). They credit the NICU for saving their daughter’s life nearly nine years ago.

“If Marquette General’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was not here, Sammy wouldn’t be here today,” Becky said. “Munising Memorial is a wonderful hospital, but they do not deliver babies or have the equipment and technology to keep them breathing. I believe I was in the right place at the right time.”

Samantha Schierschmidt enjoys a moment with a special friend

Becky Schierschmidt gave birth to Samantha at MGHS at 24 weeks gestation (14 weeks premature). Samantha weighed only 1 pound, 10 ounces and was extremely premature. In the NICU, Sammy experienced many critical health issues, including premature lungs and a serious heart infection, in her uphill battle to survive.

Samantha’s parents knew she couldn’t have been in more capable hands.

“It was a long road after Samantha was born,” Becky said. “Everyone in the NICU told us they were going to do their ultimate best to keep her alive. She quit breathing many, many times and her heart stopped, too.”

Becky also remembers the highly trained NICU team, and the expert care of neonatologist Dr. Julia Frei and pediatric cardiologist Dr. James Christiansen, for being at her daughter’s bedside during her three-month NICU stay.

“The nurses were beyond excellent. It takes a special breed of nurse to work in the NICU,” Becky said. “Dr. Frei was phenomenal. At one point, when Sammy was extremely sick, Dr. Frei wanted to airlift her to Ann Arbor, but Sammy was too sick to travel. Then, I said, ‘What do we do now?’ Dr. Frei looked at me and said, ‘We keep her alive.’

“Dr. Frei,” Becky continued, “spent hours upon hours on the phone consulting other doctors in order to have the best treatment plan for Sammy. She was unbelievable.”
Samantha will be celebrating her 9th birthday soon, and she is a vibrant, outgoing young lady in the third grade at Central Elementary School in Munising. Sammy is very proud of her NICU course and never misses the opportunity to share her history and survival against the odds.

The Regional NICU at Marquette General is the only NICU in the Upper Peninsula. Without it, sick babies would need to be transported far from home to Ann Arbor or Milwaukee.

Currently, MGHS transports approximately 70 infants per year from hospitals throughout the U.P who need specialized neonatal intensive care.

The Marquette General Foundation (www.mgh.org/foundation) is seeking philanthropic support to purchase a NICU Transporter to be used by the Neonatal Transport and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) teams to transport babies to the NICU. The $85,000 transporter has a ventilator and other equipment necessary to care for critically sick infants.

“The transporter is a sophisticated, self-contained mobile unit”, said Dr. Frei, who also serves as the Medical Director of the NICU. “It essentially provides sick infants with a mini-NICU unit on the road. Transport distances can be long in the U.P. (up to 4 hours depending on the weather/road conditions), so it’s essential that infants are in a stable and safe environment for transports.”