This year’s Swim for Melissa and Miracle Bash made a huge splash for babies in our Neonatal ICU! In only its third year, the Miracle Bash had almost 600 guests who enjoyed a wonderful evening of great food, live entertainment by dueling pianos, and a fabulous silent auction at The Westin Huntsville. Then, the next day at Swim for Melissa, 30 teams and 220 swimmers hit the water at Hampton Cove Pool. In all, we raised more than $145,000 for the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation – and money is still coming in! Proceeds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art Giraffe OmniBeds and Giraffe Isolettes for the NICU.

The top four Swim for Melissa fundraising teams were:

• 1. Blossomwood Dolphins – $10,442.76
• 2. Preemie Plunkett Patch – $10,031
• 3. Rainbow Fish - $9,605
• 4. Multiple Miracles – $7,453.65

Bill and Ingrid Lunsford, Chris and Amy George and Brian and Cathy Scholl enjoy the evening at the Miracle Bash.

Mary Margaret Johnson, Jenny Flynn, Karen Colley, Abi Hardin and Mem Bryant were on hand to help raise money for premature babies at The Miracle Bash.

Swimmers reached new heights at the 3rd annual Swim for Melissa!

The Tiger Sharks show off their “fins” before they swim.

Click here to see a slideshow from Miracle Bash and Swim for Melissa.

Huntsville Havoc fans proved once again just how generous they are! Saturday, February 2, Havoc players wore jerseys trimmed in baby blue, bearing the logo of the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund. After the game, they auctioned those game-worn, autographed jerseys off to fans, along with pink sticks they used during warm-ups. The auction raised more than $65,000 for Melissa’s Fund! The money will be used to buy two state-of-the-art Giraffe OmniBeds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. In addition, hundreds of fans brought items for the NICU, such as blankets, hats, booties, clothes and disposable cameras or monetary donations to the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund. A huge thank you to all of the Havoc fans who made Melissa George Night such a great success!

Heather Pierce is all smiles next to her favorite player, #22 Tim Hockley. She used her birthday money to buy his pink hockey stick!	A young Havoc fan proudly wears her Melissa George jersey signed by #2 Matt Curley.
Chris George and daughter Ann Catherine dropped the puck at Melissa George Night at the Huntsville Havoc game.	Amy & Chris George pose with Havoc coach John Gibson, Havoc team owners Becky & Keith Jeffries and members of the Havoc staff.

Click here to see a slideshow from Melissa George Night at the Havoc game.

Links to NewsChannel 19 Feature Stories: New Bed is Saving the Lives of Preemies The Georges' Story: Great Loss, Great Blessing Ann Catherine's Journey Through NICU

Amy & Chris George

Amy and Chris George are familiar faces to many Tennessee Valley residents. Amy was an award-winning journalist for WHNT News Channel 19 in Huntsville and now works at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. You may better recognize Chris in a hockey jersey. The Kitchener, Ontario, native played for the Huntsville Channel Cats hockey team from 1996 through 2001. He's now a medical sales representative.

Melissa & Ann Catherine's Story

In June 2005, Amy gave birth at 26 weeks to Melissa Suzanne and Ann Catherine. Melissa weighed one pound, nine ounces and unfortunately died just a few hours after she was born. Ann Catherine weighed one pound, fifteen ounces and was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children for 68 days. Ann Catherine went home in August 2005 and is pictured here as a happy, healthy one-year-old.

Melissa's Fund
Amy and Chris were touched by the care both of their daughters received in the NICU. In their words, "The doctors and nurses there take God's tiniest miracles and give them a chance at life." In November 2005, they established the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund to raise money to buy life-saving equipment for the NICU. Amy says, "We can't think of a better way to honor Melissa's memory. Her time on Earth may have been short, but she'll live forever in our hearts. We are excited about all the good we'll be able to do in her name through this fund."

Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children

The Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the only Level III intensive care unit for critically ill babies in the North Alabama region. The RNICU cares for over 800 babies each year. The RNICU is a state-of-the-art unit designed to provide the latest in high tech and "high touch" care for infants and their families in a homelike environment that encourages parental involvement in care.
The unit includes 45 beds in two nurseries, Intensive Care and Progressive Care. The RNICU staff includes 4 neonatologists and a staff of more than 80 nurses who are specially trained to care for premature and critically-ill infants.

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