When Lucy DeFrain was born at HSHS St. John's Children's Hospital in December 2009, she weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces. She was born at 27 weeks. In the first 30 days of her life, parents Megan and Dr. Chad DeFrain were told more than once that their baby may not survive.

"Lucy is our miracle; today we are so proud to say that she is a happy and healthy 6-year old," said Chad. "We know she's here today because of the excellent care she received in St. John's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit." Lucy spent more than 100 days in the NICU at the Springfield hospital.

At the Jan. 6 news conference, the DeFrains presented a check for $100,000 toward the $10 million NICU remodeling project, which is part of an overall five-year, $20 million hospitalwide campaign called "Imagine Tomorrow."

"We feel very blessed to be able to make this donation," said Megan. "We are giving in honor of our little fighter, Lucy, and my late father, Daniel Joseph McCarthy. The St. John's NICU is so dear to our hearts. We hope that this support will help other premature babies and their families."

Each year, approximately 2,000 babies are born at HSHS St. John's Children's Hospital with approximately 600 needing the highly specialized care of the NICU

Dr. Beau Batton, NICU medical director, says the overall goal of the renovation is to go from the current open ward environment (comprised of six NICU wards with five to eight babies in each ward) to a private room setting.

"Today's standard of care calls for a more private setting for optimal results," said Batton. "A private room setting will minimize auditory, visual and tactile stimulations for our babies. It will maximize the chances that each infant will not only survive, but also reach his or her developmental potential."