Fort Worth nurse creates memories for hospital’s little patients, families
Chances are good that Kathryn Callahan has been busy these days.
That’s because in the month leading up to a major holiday, when she isn’t working as a neonatal intensive care nurse at Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest Fort Worth, Callahan is crocheting.
And her creations aren’t just for anyone — they’re for the NICU babies.
“What motivates me to do this is my love for my patients and families,” Callahan said in a hospital news release. “And I believe God gives each of us talents to share.”
For the last seven years, Callahan has crocheted holiday-themed hats and other adornments for the little ones. The NICU celebrates nine holidays, so that estimates to about 600 hats she’s created through the years.
Of course, Callahan has been busy with Christmas creations.
In the past few weeks, Callahan has created more than a dozen Santa, elf and reindeer hats for the infants. She said it takes her about two to three hours to make each hat, using her own money and occasionally getting contributions from co-workers.
“I am blessed to work in an awesome NICU where I can love on the babies and families and help them through a very stressful and scary time,” Callahan said.
The hats bring smiles to families.
“Kathryn is a ray of sunshine and truly a blessing to our NICU infants, parents and staff every day,” said Melissa Alldredge, NICU manager. “I appreciate all of the time, hard work and creativeness she puts into making these precious keepsakes that bring so much joy to our patients’ families.”
Texas Health Resources serves 16 North Texas counties and more than seven million people. The system has more than 4,100 licensed hospital beds, 6,400 physicians and more than 26,000 employees.
In addition to the creating the hats, Callahan also sets up a holiday-themed photo booth, where parents can take pictures of their child showing off their new hat.
“It’s important for them to be able to celebrate all ‘the firsts’ with their babies,” Callahan said. “I think the best thing about doing all this work is seeing how it touches the families and brings them joy.”
