Amy Stein joined Leadership Sinai because she wanted to help fundraise for Mount Sinai and make a difference in the community. She did not anticipate that her efforts would benefit her own newborn daughter.

“Even though my pregnancy was uneventful, I wanted to deliver at Mount Sinai. I knew that if anything went wrong they would know how to deal with it,” says Stein, who began fundraising for the Hospital six years ago as a member of the annual women’s golf tournament committee in support of the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre. She joined Leadership Sinai three years ago.

Stein’s daughter, Samantha Jessica Stein Roach, was born at Mount Sinai Hospital on August 19, 2008, weighing eight pounds and four ounces.

After the birth, Stein returned to her room with her daughter and husband Chris Roach. Later that day, Samantha was taken to the Valentine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Level III Nursery due to low blood oxygen saturation levels.

The Mount Sinai NICU is divided into two levels: level II and level III. The level III NICU provides care for infants who need assisted ventilation, intravenous nutrition, cardiopulmonary monitoring and close nursing and medical care. As a baby’s condition stabilizes, the baby may be transferred to the level II NICU for observation.

“After two days, she was moved to the Leadership Sinai Level II Nursery. Samantha then developed a feeding problem because she would not take enough liquid and her total food intake was too low for her to be discharged. She was a full-term baby, so this was rare,” says Stein, who sits on the Leadership Sinai board of directors and a number of committees, including one that is raising funds for the NICU and Infant Care.

After spending a month in the nursery, Samantha went home with her parents on September 15, a day Stein says was “the happiest day of our lives.”

“The care we received was excellent. The staff in the Level II Nursery was always welcoming and recognized that this was a difficult time for my husband and me as well as our families. Chris and I spent every day in the nursery with Samantha. Our families were also at the nursery visiting and helping us. The staff was always available to talk and help us in any way.”

Today, Samantha is a healthy and active child. “She’s absolutely perfect!” says Stein. “She loves swimming, gym class and the swings at the park. She’ll be turning one in August and we can’t wait to celebrate!”