Intensive care unit's tiniest patients get a cute Thanksgiving-themed photo shoot

Patients at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit get to celebrate Thanksgiving with an adorable photo shoot. (Photo: YouTube)
Patients at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit get to celebrate Thanksgiving with an adorable photo shoot. (Photo: YouTube)

A hospital is the last place a family would like to spend their time during the holidays, especially if the patient is their child, but the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Institute for Arts in Medicine program had something special planned.

The tiniest patients at the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit had their very own Thanksgiving-themed photo shoot, complete with turkey feather butts and warm turkey hats.

Their goal was not only to provide a welcome distraction for the families through arts and crafts but also to make a lasting, happy memory that they can show their children when they grow up.

“We get to celebrate the holidays … and we’ll have a keepsake,” a mother, Shnika Love, told AL.com. “If you have to be here, make the best of it — let’s be thankful for everything along this journey. I’m thankful for the family that I’ve come to know since I’ve been here.”

The Arts in Medicine program focuses on patient-centered care, which is obvious when you witness the energy these caregivers put into making patients and their families feel at home in an environment that can be cold and sterile. You can donate to the program here.

Earlier this year, premature babies in the neonatal ICUs at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn and Park Ridge, Ill., got to celebrate Halloween by dressing up as a small fry, a mermaid and even members of the Addams Family, proving that there’s no wrong way to celebrate when you’re with family.

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