A Bellevue woman celebrated her 20th birthday this week by making and delivering 20 fleece blankets to premature infants at Overlake Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“I hope it will make them feel good, knowing this is from a person who has gone through what their child has, and seeing that, ‘Yes!’ their child can grow up to be healthy,” said Emma Hall in a press release.

Hall, an avid guitar player who sings in two choirs, is currently studying music at Bellevue College. She was born at 26 weeks gestation after her mother, Elisabeth, suffered a placental abruption. Emma spent 60 days in Overlake’s NICU.

Before Emma’s high school graduation, her mother reached out via Facebook to nurse Michele McRae who was on the team of NICU providers caring for Emma as a preemie.

The family and Overlake staff have stayed in touch since then.

“This is exactly why we do what we do,” said McRae in a press release. “We never expect to hear back from families, so to see them come full circle and help others like this is very special.”

For new mom Katherine Rogers of Marysville, whose baby, Alice, was born on Feb. 11 at Overlake at 26 weeks gestation, Emma Hall’s gesture means as much as the actual blanket.

“I know there’s a long road ahead of us,” She said in a press release. “But it is good to see it is really possible for Alice to have a normal life as a healthy adult.”

Elisabeth Hall says the idea for helping other premature infants was all her daughter’s.

“This is who she is, she’s a giver so I knew at some point we would be back here in some capacity to show other moms that someone as little as Alice can grow to be 5’2,” Elisabeth said in a press release.

Overlake nurse Michele McRae, Katherine Rogers (mom), Alice Rogers (baby), Elisabeth Hall and Emma Hall. Photo courtesy of Overlake Medical Center