BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A local artist made a generous donation to Sisters of Charity Hospital Friday.
Caitlin Krumm has donated thousands of dollars worth of her artwork to grace the walls of the hospital to offer other families a source of comfort.
I sat down with her to talk about this decision as well as her and her son's journey inside this hospital.
Krumm said she remembers when she was pregnant with her first baby a few years ago.
"I was just kind of showing off my bump and enjoying going out to dinner and being relaxed," Krumm said.
But her pregnancy was anything but relaxing.
"I just had a very heavy pressure in my belly and I thought it was maybe because I was chasing a toddler around," said Krumm, and she quickly learned it was something more serious.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and had bleeding," said Krumm. "I couldn't tell if I could feel him moving or not. I basically had grown a second placenta where my son's cord was going across some of the vessels."
Doctors told her the condition could be life-threatening and she had to spend the rest of her pregnancy at Sisters Hospital
That's when Krumm, an artist who owns the "Finishing Touches" studio in Kenmore, turned to her passion — painting.
"They say that art has the power to heal and I really do believe in that," said Krumm.
The nurses at Sisters encouraged her to hang her art in her hospital room where she spent 45 days.
"I got to become friends with a lot of the nurses and the staff there was just unbelievable," said Krumm.
At 32 weeks she welcomed her baby boy, Casey, but faced another difficult time. Casey had to spend six weeks in the NICU.
"He had some trouble with breathing and just development-wise he had some catching up to do," said Krumm.
Through all the stress Krumm continued to create and decided to donate $20,000 worth of her work to Sisters. I was there as she reunited with the health care team that took care of her and Casey who turns one next week.
"Just holding him here is so special, it was one of the hardest times for sure in my life," said Krumm as she unveiled the art.
She said she hopes her artwork which will be used to decorate the mother baby unit brings optimism and comfort to others going through difficult times. She said the experience, while difficult, also put things into perspective.
"Sometimes we sweat things little things," she said. "At the end of the day, it's your home base. It's the people who are priority and these moments are all so precious."
The Trusted Nurse Staffing team donated thousands of dollars to make the donation possible.
