HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — For Anna Bialkowski, it's the sights and sounds of the tiniest patients that fulfill her heart, even on the heaviest of days.
Bialkowski has clocked into the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital for the past 10 years, and each little life and their journey is the reason she keeps coming back.
"This is the part that I love, being able to see a baby who was very small grow to be nice and big and strong," Bialkowski said.
But while her love for these little ones inside the hospital is something to admire, it's her dedication to them outside of work that truly exemplifies her caring spirit.
"So I started crocheting costumes for the babies, and it just kind of snowballed from there," Bialkowski said.
From St. Patrick's Day to Christmas, Bialkowski spends hours of her off days crocheting unique items for the babies.
"Pretty much every holiday that we can make a hat for, we make something for them," Bialkowski said. "We have made pumpkins. We have made bears, Pooh Bear."
Her most recent creation: berets to help celebrate an upcoming pediatric fundraiser themed "Evening in Paris."
"This purple one is for a smaller patient who weighs about 2 pounds and this one is for our newer patients on the unit who weighs about 9 pounds," Bialkowski said.
It's a hobby she says has helped in some really difficult moments.
"I love bringing a moment of joy to the families during a very stressful time in their lives," Bialkowski said.
With a passion for babies and making them the cutest little clothes, Bialkowski says she has no plans to put down her crochet hook anytime soon.
"They're just so strong, even though they're so tiny," Bialkowski said.
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