In June 2023, Hailey Jensen gave birth to twin boys, Banks and Theo, at just 23 weeks’ gestation. Banks survived two days before passing away, and Theo remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the next five months.
These were months filled with anxiety and grief; not only were Hailey and her husband, Seth, mourning the loss of their son, but they were also navigating the roller coaster of emotions that accompanied Theo’s health journey, including his eventual diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
“[In these moments,] you’re not looking at the big picture,” Hailey says. “You’re in survival mode, [thinking,] ‘I’m just trying to get through each day and hoping the next day is a little bit better and a little bit easier.’”
One person who made a significant difference was Danielle Ames, a nurse in the NICU.
“She resuscitated [Banks] long enough for Seth and I to hold him while he still had a heartbeat,” Hailey says. Because the NICU has an open floor plan, Danielle also found an empty labor and delivery room for the Jensens to sit in so they could have privacy during their last hours with Banks. She then offered to take pictures of the family.
Danielle knew firsthand what these small gestures would mean to them—she lost her own premature baby just a year before.
“It taught me a unique way to be a nurse,” Danielle says of her son’s death. “Not every nurse goes through a situation where they lose a baby and then have to turn around and be that support person for the families [in the NICU].”
Not only does Danielle feel that her heartbreak has enhanced her ability to minister in the hospital, but she’s also been healed through this service.
“I can’t explain the spirit that overcomes the NICU [with] that kind of bereavement [of] having a mom hold her [dying] baby. The veil is so thin, and the spirit world is there,” Danielle says. “I love being the nurse in that situation because I feel like it heals my heart.”
During Theo’s five-month stay in the NICU, Hailey and Danielle’s friendship grew.
“Bonding with a mom who has also lost a baby is so special,” Danielle says. “We talk all the time about how our boys are up in heaven playing together. [I believe my son, Ollie,] was there to help Banks as he crossed through the veil. We talk about them being friends all the time and how we’re so glad that we have each other. ... It’s just a unique bond, and it helps me feel better.”
Returning Service
After 148 days in the NICU, Theo was finally able to go home in November 2023. That December, Hailey and Seth wanted to do something special for the NICU nurses to show them that the sacrifices they make don’t go unnoticed. With donations from family, friends, and a local business, they put together almost 100 gift bags and dropped them off at the NICU on Christmas Eve.
Danielle was one of the nurses working that night when the Jensens came in.
“It [was] truly the best feeling,” she says. “Hailey’s mom and dad came, and they brought Theo. Not only are they sacrificing whatever means to provide us with gifts, but they’re also coming in as a family. ... I love seeing these little miracles that we took care of go home but then come back and see us.”
Not long after that Christmas visit, Hailey and Seth were surprised to learn that they were pregnant again. In July 2024, Hailey gave birth to a baby girl, Ella, at 30 weeks’ gestation.
Ella was born septic and had meningitis. So less than a year after taking Theo home, Hailey and Seth found themselves back in the NICU for three more months.
“I was so excited when they had Ella,” Danielle says. “Not that I was excited that they were back in the NICU, but I was just so excited to see them again. They take such good care of the nurses. It’s so easy to serve families when they are so grateful for everything the medical team does. … They were such a joy.”
After Ella’s stay in the NICU, Hailey and Seth knew they wanted to bring gift bags to the nurses again on Christmas Eve.
The second time around, they were able to put together bigger bags with help from several local businesses. The bags included items like lip balm, lotion, hair scrunchies, pens, energy drinks, blankets, hand sanitizer, and gum.
“I would love to do it for as long as I can,” Hailey said. “[Giving] just a little bit back helps us feel like we’re letting them know how important they are to us. … I would give these nurses millions of dollars if I could.”
Relief Through the Plan
Through all the grief, stress, pain, and heartbreak that the last two years have brought, Hailey and Seth won’t deny that their faith has been tested.
“It’s not perfect,” Hailey says. “There are days that we see the things that Theo is going to struggle with, and it’s like ... I don’t want anything to do with a God who is making me go through these hard things.”
On the other hand, Hailey relies more on the promises of salvation than she ever has before.
“Nothing else matters but the covenants I’ve made with God and my Savior and knowing that I’m going to see [Banks] again one day. Finding relief in that is what keeps us going.”
Hailey and Seth say that, despite sometimes feeling a lot of anger and frustration on behalf of their kids, they also know there’s a lot of hope, and a lot of prayers are being answered.
“We’re witnessing two miracles every day,” Hailey says of Theo and Ella.
“Sometimes, when it gets really hard, I just think about what the doctors expected Theo’s life to look like and how it looks so much different already. We’re looking at a living, breathing miracle. How can you look at something like that and not believe in Christ and not believe in Heavenly Father and His plan and His love?”
Hailey and Seth acknowledge that the angelic and selfless service of the NICU nurses helped make their miracles possible.
“Without them, we wouldn’t have any of our kids here with us,” she says. “We get to [be] with Theo and Ella, and it’s because of the nurses.”
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