Nurses are at the heart of any neonatal intensive care unit. Laurel Lagenaur (above right) saw this firsthand when she developed preeclampsia at 28 weeks into her pregnancy and delivered her son, Alex, 6 1/2 weeks early at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
“I felt like the care that he received from the NICU was stellar,” Laurel says. “When you have a 3-pound infant, you’re naturally concerned. The nurses were just so calming and caring.”
When Laurel took her son home, he weighed just 3 pounds, 11 ounces. Today, Alex is 27 years old and preparing to defend his PhD thesis at Harvard University. He is an ultrarunner, having completed the Leadville 100, and multiple marathons, including the Boston Marathon three times.
“Clearly, he got a healthy start from the NICU,” laughs Laurel.
Over the years, Laurel has gone above and beyond to express her gratitude. “I’m a big believer in continuing education,” says Laurel. She makes annual donations from a donor-advised fund to support professional development for NICU nurses at Packard Children’s Hospital. Laurel’s gifts help train nurses to best utilize advancements that improve care for our hospital’s most vulnerable patients.
In addition, Laurel enjoys hosting events to recognize nurses for their valuable contributions. Most recently, she held a dinner for our hospital’s NICU nurses at The BottleShop in Redwood City. “They really enjoyed it,” she says. “They clearly enjoyed each other’s company and work well together.”
Thank you, Laurel, for your commitment to supporting our hospital’s NICU nurses!
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of the Packard Children’s News.
