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No bigger than a baseball – NICU baby survives and thrives life’s curve ball

For 128 days Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder A.J. Pollack and his wife Kate started their new parent journey at the HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where their daughter Maddi Mae was receiving specialized care. Born prematurely and weighing just 1 pound 6 ounces, she was vulnerable and needed a high level of specialty care as she navigated her journey to greater health.

The NICU at Scottsdale Shea is the only one in the northeast Valley with the state's highest possible Level III designation, granted after a rigorous survey and evaluation from the Arizona Perinatal Trust. It helps the most fragile newborns in Arizona survive and thrive.

Happily, Maddi got to go home just after turning four months.

To celebrate Maddi’s “graduation,” dad A.J. donated $100,000 to the 3rd Annual NICU High Tea, so that premature babies and their families get the care they need 24 hours a day.

“Generous donations like this allow us to bring in new technology to provide enhanced care,” stated Matthew Abrams, MD, Medical Director and Pediatric Chair. “Breathing machines that help synchronize the babies’ breathing or EEG machines that monitor seizures enhance the level of care for our newborns.”