Daytona Beach, FL - Newborn babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach are receiving new crocheted toy octopi as a source of comfort.
The gifts are from Trudy Rance, who was inspired to create the toys and donate them to the NICU's 16-bed unit. “I’ve been crocheting since I was 10 years old; it’s just something I love to do,” explains Rance. “I saw something similar on Facebook and thought to myself, ‘I can do that!’ My daughter found a pattern, and I’ve made several for my family. I’m so happy to be able to give these to the hospital too.”
One tiny recipient of a crocheted octopus was newborn Radley Dunlop, who is already finding comfort int the hand-made toy, grabbing and clutching the soft tentacles. He was born on July 30 and was taken to the NICU due to a collapsed lung.
“We are so thankful for Trudy and this wonderful gift for our smallest patients,” Tracey Yoder, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center NICU's manager says. “Our babies like them. The octopus can help them feel safe and comforted, as the tentacles mimic the feeling of the umbilical cord in the mother's womb. This comfort can help stabilize their heart rate and calm them, helping them heal and grow so they can go home quickly to their families.”
The NICU facility was opened in August 2016 and cares for newborns 32 weeks and older. It is the only NICU in Volusia County with private, family-centered rooms, allowing parents to stay 24 hours a day with their babies.
NOTE: Above featured photo is of baby Dunlop and his mother Christine McCarthy of Ormond Beach. Below photo is of the crocheted toys.
Below photo is of Rance (left), creator of the toys, along with McCarthy, baby Dunlop, and father John Dunlop.
All photos courtesy of Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
