In the NICU a stranger changed everything
Apr 24, 2026
Have you ever received something small… at exactly the moment you needed it most?
That’s what happened to me a few days ago.
After our baby was born, my wife and I experienced something no new parent ever anticipates:
Our baby was placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
All of a sudden, our life was upended and our future uncertain.
As the caring hospital staff helped my wife and I into a room which would be our home for the foreseeable future, our bleary eyes anxiously raced with unanswerable questions.
We dropped our bags, and with a nurse’s help, my wife crawled into her new hospital bed for a much needed sleep.
I slumped into one of the spare chairs that gratefully turned into a recliner.
There, for the first time since the ordeal of witnessing a birth and seeing our baby whisked away, I sat in the dark and alone with my thoughts.
It felt like the weight of night sky loomed and pressed down upon me.
As I sat with a dizzying expanse of emotions, something in the corner of the room caught my eye.
It was a small pile of colorfully wrapped objects. Walking closer, I noticed bouncy ribbons and bows that seemed a lot more cheerful than I was.
It was a care package, with just about every soft and cuddly thing a newborn baby could hope for.
But this wasn’t just any care package with stuff you could find in a Target or Walmart…
These weren’t store-bought items. Someone had made them… by hand.
Beautifully knit blankets for swaddling.
A tiny onesie… specially designed for a NICU sized baby.
And several mini blankets that were as soft as a newborn puppy.
I have to admit, I’m not one for crying much.
But standing there… alone… with the sudden weight of becoming a father… and having no idea what the outcome was going to be…
I was deeply touched that people took the time to handcraft these things with such care.
And I wept.
It seems that swaddling cloths are just as good at comforting parents as babies.
In this moment of deep uncertainty, someone I didn’t know had gone out of the way to express care in a uniquely personal way.
And all of a sudden, the night sky became filled with more wonder than worry.
If I only knew their names, I would thank them.
If I could see their faces, I would embrace them.
Because their generosity and thoughtfulness turned one of my hardest moments, into one of deep gratitude.
Which got me thinking.
When I have expressed care to someone, have I been guilty of doing it… quickly and efficiently?
Did people notice when I hurriedly fit my concern for them… into a schedule?
In those moments, did my care have the impact I hoped?
Or was I missing the mark?
This little gift basket was so profound because it unmistakably took time and thoughtfulness to create.
Its hard to express genuine care and concern with efficiency and haste.
I know, I’ve tried.
Gratefully, our stay in the hospital only lasted a few days and we were able to bring our infant home with us. We’ve spent a week getting adjusted to a completely new sleep schedule… and mother and baby are recovering well.
But as I reflect more and more on that harrowing time in the NICU, I think back to the incredible nurses we met and the profound gift basket we received from complete strangers.
They each taught me that the secret to helping people know you really care (and the secret to parenthood) is that…
L.O.V.E.
Is really spelled…
T.I.M.E.
Thank you for spending your time with me.
Christian
CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his family. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com
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