Former NICU patient collects money instead of birthday presents to give to NICU team
RICHMOND HEIGHTS, MO – Children often make big requests on their birthdays, and 10-year-old Hannah Liske of Okawville, Illinois is no exception. She wanted something big – to help other premature babies who “needed extra special care so they could live and see the sunshine.”
Hannah was born premature on Jan. 25, 2001, weighing in at 2 pounds. She spent the first month of her life in SSM St. Mary’s NICU. Hannah’s 16-year-old 
brother was born weighing 3 pounds and also stayed at the NICU at SSM St. Mary’s.
So, she had a roller skating birthday party fundraiser and asked her friends and family to give monetary donations to benefit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center.
In total, Hannah raised $204 for the SSM St. Mary’s Health Center Foundation. Her 
parents made the final fundraising contribution so Hannah could hand the NICU nurses a grand total of $250.
For Hannah and her family, the return to SSM St. Mary’s NICU was an emotional journey. While brother Elijah returned for her birth, Hannah had never seen or visited the delicate babies in the NICU. The event brought her to tears as well as her parents.
In honor of Hannah’s donation, the SSM St. Mary’s Health Center Foundation commemorated the event with “Footprints” gifted in both Hannah and Elijah’s name for the “Born at SSM St. Mary’s” wall.
About SSM St. Mary’s Health Center
SSM St. Mary's Health Center is a two-time winner of the prestigious Premier Award for Quality. Centrally located in metro St. Louis, SSM St. Mary's Health Center is a contemporary, 525-bed hospital with distinctive capabilities in high-risk obstetrical services, fetal surgery, state-of-the-art heart surgery, a chest pain center, advanced stroke care, and the latest imaging and outpatient services. Also a teaching hospital, SSM St. Mary’s Health Center is the headquarters for St. Louis University School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and offers an accredited internal medicine program. At SSM St. Mary’s Health Center more than 2,100 employees and 800 physicians are devoted to achieving the best care and best results for our patients.
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