A North Dakota Miracle

​The story of one micro preemie birth at Sanford Children’s Hospital demonstrates why Dakota credit unions want to support this new care unit. 

Creating miracles – that’s what Sanford Children’s Hospital is all about. The Dakota Credit Union Foundation is working closely with North Dakota’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital to raise funds for a new CU4Kids Micro Preemie Care Unit. As of today, we have received credit union pledges totaling $352,000. We are now more than halfway to our goal! The story below illustrates the impact such specialized care had for one local family. Will you consider a pledge today?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New parents from the small town of Emerado, North Dakota are celebrating after a scary 137-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Sanford Health.

"They kind of tell you this is what you're looking at, it does not sound good, it's very scary, and it just doesn't seem real that you're going to have a baby so soon," said Jadeyn Gajeski.

Jadeyn and her husband Andrew ended up in a situation no parent could ever dream of. Their son Henry was born 4 months to the day before his due date of May 21, 2023, after just 22 weeks of pregnancy.

"We have maybe 12 babies in the last 5 years, born at 22 weeks, and our survival rate is approximately 60 percent, which is above national average," said Dr. Mohamed Mohamed, the Sanford Health Neonatologist who cared for Henry.
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Henry weighed just 15.2 ounces. With weakened organs from an early birth, he was put on a ventilator, battling through bowel issues and a heart infection.

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"You see him, and he's see-through, and he's hooked up to all these things," Jadeyn said. "It was tough to see him like that.”

After months of waiting, watching, and hoping, things finally started to turnaround for Henry and the Gajeski family.
"When he started to breathe on his own, I think that's really when you realize, he can do this. It's going to be okay," Jadeyn said.

At the end of January 2024, Henry was as playful and bubbly as any other 8-month-old. From the people who cared for him, to his doting parents, everyone is amazed by how he's doing and how far he's come.
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"When I see Henry now in front of me, and he's interacting, he's doing very well, this is what gives me joy for my job," Dr. Mohamed said.
​See the full interview on WDAY TV. 

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In order to move forward with this project as a “credit union only” named care unit, we must reach $500,000
in pledges by April 15, 2024. We humbly ask you to consider a pledge today. Every donation is impactful and helps us achieve our goal. You determine when to begin fulfilling your pledge and the time frame you need to meet it.

The Sanford Health Foundation will be making a public press announcement during a special contributor luncheon and media event in May, during which participating credit unions will be acknowledged. Let’s do this legacy project together! If your credit union would like to make a pledge, please contact Shawn Brummer.   

Our pledges so far include:

• North Star CCU $100,000
• Dakota CU Foundation $100,000
• Town & Country CU $50,000
• United Savings CU 30,000
• Community CU $25,000
• Hometown CU $25,000
• Flasher Community CU $5,000
• Med Park CU $5,000
• Postal Family FCU $5,000
• University FCU $5,000
• Fargo VA FCU $1,000
• Riverfork FCU $1,000
  

We understand that credit unions receive requests for many worthy projects. Our hope is that working together, we can create a lasting credit union legacy at the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in our state.

Each and every supporting credit union’s name will appear on a plaque at the CU4Kids care unit entrance. NOTE: There are still two room sponsorships available for credit unions pledging $100,000. Room sponsorships will receive an individual customized plaque at the private treatment room entrance.