Episode 177: Extraordinary Empathy: The Hug That Changed Everything

About this episode

This episode discusses a pivotal moment in neonatal care involving extraordinary empathy from a nurse that changed the course of treatment for premature infants.

On October 17, 1995, Kyrie and Brielle Jackson were born at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. The twins were 12 weeks premature and each baby weighed just two pounds.  Kyrie was gaining weight in the days following their birth, but Brielle was having difficulty breathing, and her oxygen levels were dropping critically low. Nurse Gayle Kasparian, who was on duty that night, tried everything she knew to calm the baby girl. But nothing worked. As the minutes passed by and Brielle’s crying became uncontrollable, her condition worsened, and she started to turn blue. What Nurse Gayle Kasparian did next was against hospital rules. What she did next also changed the course of Neo-Natal care around the world. On today’s episode of The Private School Leader Podcast, we are going to talk about Extraordinary Empathy: The Hug That Changed Everything . Thank you for taking me along with you when you are walking the dog, driving to school or running errands. I appreciate you and what you are doing for the lucky kids and teachers at your school. Thanks so much for listening and thanks for making a difference! Mark Minkus If you like the podcast, please write a…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Minkus

Topics covered

• empathy
• neonatal care
• healthcare
• personal stories
• education leadership

Keywords

• empathy
• neonatal care
• premature birth
• healthcare
• nursing

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts

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