Donor Makes Gift to Recognize NICU Nurse

Much can happen in 10 years. Just ask the family of Amanda and Brewster Bevis, whose son, Liam, was born six weeks early and spent 31 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), the only Level III NICU in the region.

Today, Liam is a happy, healthy 10-year-old and, to mark this milestone, the Bevis family made a generous gift to the NICU in honor of the nurse who took a lead role in providing his care: Desiree Fenniman, RN.

“I am overwhelmed,” Fenniman said, after stopping by the unit during Neonatal Nurses Week to make pancakes for colleagues (something she frequently does!). “This gift is really for all the NICU nurses —and the entire team. Our NICU is one-of-a-kind and it’s gratifying that people see that. It is such an honor for the nurses to be recognized for the care and love they put into their work. Regardless if they are having a good day or a bad one, they always put their best foot forward and do the best they can for these babies and their families.”

Without question, the TMH NICU and the colleagues who work in it have a lasting impact on the lives of their little patients and their families.

“NICU nurses are so special,” said Amanda, who serves on the TMH Foundation Board of Trustees. “They welcome such fragile, vulnerable lives into the world. They care for them with great skill and compassion. And they hold the hands of new moms and dads when they need love and support the most.”

Amanda said all the NICU nurses and colleagues were exceptional, but they felt especially close to Fenniman.

“Desiree really stood out,” Amanda said. “She is not just an incredible nurse, but she was a great source of joy. This was a challenging time for us, seeing our little baby boy hooked up to oxygen and feeding tubes. The NICU nurses were a bright shining light. They taught us how to hold him, feed him and comfort him. The nurses were a comfort to us, too. We spent many, many hours by Liam’s side in the NICU, and we became friends with the nurses who held our hands through the process.” 

Amanda added that she and her husband wanted their gift to have the greatest impact, so they left it up to Fenniman to decide how best to put it to use. Fenniman said she is polling all the nurses in the unit to get their ideas. “This is a big decision to make,” Fenniman said. “I love my NICU family — they aren’t co-workers, they are family and I value my time with them.”

“We are incredibly lucky to have such talented professionals and kind hearts in the TMH NICU,” Amanda said. “We just wanted to show them how valued they are.”