Giving for Greta: A family’s love lives on in the NICU

Amanda, Ryan and their three sons

Amanda Gintoft’s family has a long history at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Milwaukee. Her mom received care there, she was born there and she delivered her four children there. It’s also the place where she experienced great heartbreak. 

In 2017, Amanda learned she was pregnant with her second child, a daughter named Greta. After experiencing a miscarriage not long before, Amanda and her husband Ryan were excited to grow their family once more. Everything was progressing as normal until she experienced light bleeding at 23 weeks and one day gestation. She called her OBGYN, Dr. Czarina Helf, for next steps.

“I went in to get assessed, and I wasn’t having any other symptoms. It was very subtle,” Amanda shared. “Shortly after, they told me I was in labor and that I wouldn’t leave the hospital pregnant which was very shocking.”

Amanda was admitted to the hospital and put on bed rest. 

Baby Greta

“I met my entire care team, and I had amazing nurses who took care of me, some I still talk to today. The nurses and Dr. Helf have become very special people in my life,” Amanda said. “I met the neonatology team and the perinatology team, and I started to understand the reality of what would happen and that Greta would definitely be born prematurely.”

Four days later, on September 22, 2017, Greta entered the world at just under 24 weeks gestation. Weighing only 1 pound, 7 ounces, she was born with a subtle brain bleed and a heart that had not yet fully developed.

Amanda and Ryan buckled in for a long journey in the NICU. Each day, they spent time with Greta while balancing caring for their young son. After 17 days, Amanda and Ryan received a call in the middle of the night that Greta had an infection that would require antibiotics. Just a few hours later, they rushed to the NICU as Greta started to turn septic.

“It was October 9th, and it was a very sunny Friday and unusually warm, almost 90 degrees,” Amanda shared. “It was also the first time we got to hold Greta, as we were saying goodbye. Our parents came, so she was surrounded by her grandparents and the very compassionate staff, and then she died in our arms.”

While navigating the grief of losing a child, Amanda and Ryan wanted to help other families in the NICU during the holiday season. They collected baby essentials like diapers, swaddles and car seats from family and friends, and delivered a car full of donations in Greta’s memory.

Today, nine years later, that tradition lives on and continues to grow each year.

“It felt good to do something in Greta’s name, and keep her as part of Christmas. We also like that it shows our sons acts of service, and what giving back and helping others means, especially when doing it in the name of somebody that you love,” Amanda — now a mom of three sons — shared. “They make cards for the nurse and the doctors, and it’s something we’ve really grown to love. We call it ‘Giving for Greta.’”

In the same space where Amanda was born, became a mother and experienced profound loss, her daughter Greta’s legacy continues to shine.