On Nov. 22, little Miss Cora Lantini, marched into OhioHealth Marion General Hospital in her pink princess high heels to celebrate her third birthday with her mom Kinzie of Galion and grandma Kim Porter of Mt. Gilead.
Cora had a rough start on Nov. 22, 2019, when mom went into preeclampsia seven weeks early that resulted in an emergency cesarean section at Marion General. As a result, Cora was only 4 lbs. 8 oz. at birth.
Needing to gain weight, she spent the next five weeks in Marion General’s special care nursery. Dad Joe, Kenzie and grandma Kim boarded many nights at the hospital to be with Cora, bonding with the nursery team throughout their experience where they received a quilt for Cora donated by a member of the community.
“Cora got such good care when she was there that I said then, ‘Is this something I could do? Could I make quilts too for this?’” Porter said.
And she sure did. Twelve quilts were presented on Nov. 12 to a grateful team. “A lot of babies will get love out these,” said Molly Szymkowiak, night nurse at Marion General.
There were tears of gratitude and thanks as Kenzie and Kim reminisced with the nursing team about their experience at Marion General. “From the minute we got there, everything was top notch,” said Kim.
This visit was not just to reconnect with and thank the Special Care Nursery team at Marion General, but also to give back to future families who will stay there through the gift of quilting.
Today, Cora is a health and happy toddler. She is ironically cared for now by Jayna Hughes, nurse practitioner at OhioHealth Cardington Family Practice, who just three years ago was an RN at Marion General’s….you guessed it, the special care nursery. Now, that’s a full circle moment.
The family hopes to make the quilt donation an annual tradition on Cora’s birthday each year.
