BILLINGS — Any parent who celebrates Christmas loves that annual photo with Santa Claus. However, some parents may be unable to take their babies to Santa because of their health. That's why Intermountain Health brought Santa Claus to babies Thursday in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Thursday was a jolly day at St. Vincent's Regional Hospital in Billings.
"You see the joy in parents' faces, or in the grandparents, and they get to have that first Christmas moment that they wouldn't have had otherwise... Everyone wants to work Santa Day," said Sara Donohue, the NICU and pediatric unit manager.
It was an especially joyful day for parents at the NICU, including Lisa Frame.
Frame's daughter, Ember, has been in the NICU for about two months.
"I don't think we would've had as great of an experience if we weren't (at Intermountain Health)," Frame said.
Frame has an older daughter who's 14. She described the birth of her newborn baby compared to her oldest as "polar opposites."
"This one has been completely different, first airplane ride, first catheter, first anesthetic, first major surgery," she said.
Ember was born at 29 weeks gestation, or about 11 weeks early. The Frame family lives about three hours away from Billings and has called the Ronald McDonald House a home away from home.
Once Ember grows strong, likely in a couple weeks, the family hopes to safely return home.
"They're spending their holidays away from their families. So if we can give them any spot of joy or comfort during that time, it's really important to have any part of a normal childhood experience, because obviously nothing has been normal for them if they're here," Donohue said.
Santa's visit, along with other holiday events, is because of the collaboration between Intermountain Health and March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization that strives to improve the health of mothers and their babies.
"Just some different experiences so they can enjoy this time, even though they're in a hospital," Donohue said.
On Thursday afternoon, Frame and other parents enjoyed an opportunity to add some normalcy to their otherwise abnormal Christmas season.
"Gratitude, that I get to do this," said Santa Claus, who requested to keep his real name anonymous.
Santa has quite a long journey in his stretch to fame. He started out as a mall Santa, and eventually began visiting the NICU annually about 30 years ago.
He said holding the babies and bringing Christmas joy is his favorite part of the job.
The day was proof that long acts of kindness go a long way, in a hospital that's full of them, whether from Santa or the staff at St. V's.
"I've been here long enough, I think I've had most of the nurses, both day and night shift, and every single one of them has done such a wonderful job," Frame said.
