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Dear Catalyst Editor,

I would like to share a special experience I had at the Medical University of South Carolina.

On July 23, my wife and I became aware that our  first pregnancy was at risk and an emergency C-Section was done here at MUSC. James Zachary Getsinger was born at 8:30 p.m. and was immediately sent to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU). He was diagnosed with a rare liver anomaly called an 
“Arterio-Venus Malformation.” We were told that this was life threatening and that Zachary was a very sick 5 pounds, 11.5 ounces baby. During our seven weeks in the NNICU, Marcey and I spent every available minute by Zachary's side. She traveled daily back and forth; I returned to work and visited him during my breaks and lunch. It became a ritual.

We were faced with many new sounds, smells, and feelings that were disorienting at times. It's here that the story begins. The NNICU is a very special place, because of the people. The nurses, the doctors, the respiratory therapists gave us something that we will never be able to repay. They gave us a sense of hope and comfort in a place that we dreaded. It's difficult for me to express what this meant to us. Our baby was dying, our nerves were shot, and we were in a place with sounds and instruments we didn't understand, but with a lot of warmth, caring and understanding they were able to make us feel comfortable. It may sound weird, but we miss going up there and being with those people.

On the seventh week, the decision was made to try to remove the AVM. During the surgery, Zachary's heart failed and they were unable to revive him. We lost our son and we were devastated. During the time Zachary was in the hospital, my aunt continuously e-mailed information to friends, family and co-workers. Many of those were MUSC employees. These people shared with us the ups and downs of Zachary's life and in some way became intertwined with his care.

An idea surfaced to purchase a Docimeter for the NNICU in Zachary's name and call it the “Zachometer.” As we pondered this and thought there was no way we could afford the $2,000, we started receiving contributions. The first donation came from the Department of Pharmacology followed by the Environmental Bioscience Program, then the College of Dental Medicine and the Institute of Psychology, Clinical NeuroPharmacology and Neuroimaging. Money also came from individuals in the NNICU and friends of the family. We now could buy the equipment.
 The Docimeter is designed to monitor the noise level in the nursery.  It is set at a certain rate and if inadvertently, voices and other sounds reach that level of decibells, an alarm light will turn on, encouraging people to keep their voices down. Pre-natal babies’ heart rates slow down when the noise level goes up and they can die.

Today the “Zachometer” is here and waiting to be installed.  I want the people who sent us money  to understand that the gift they gave us was a gift of a lifetime. We want them to know that not only did they make Zachary's departure a little easier, they are going to help so many other children in the NNICU. Marcey and I found that MUSC, and in particular, the NNICU is a special place and wanted to share this.
 

Brian Getsinger
Editor's note: Getsinger is a computer engineer working with the subcontractor Universal Data Solutions