While at Sacred Heart, Lynn and Shawn welcomed to
the world their three boys, Gus, Max and Ian. After six
long weeks, Lynn was finally able to leave the hospital,
but the boys had to stay in Spokane for another two
months.
“Once I was discharged
from the hospital, things
got really complicated,”
Lynn said. “I decided
to go back to work, so
for the remainder of the
boys’ stay at the Sacred
Heart neonatal intensive
care unit (NICU), we
had to commute. It was
heart-wrenching to be
away from them and
travel back and forth
every day.”
Lynn was not the only
one making the daily
trek to and from the
hospital in Spokane. At
the time, Shawn was
working in Sandpoint
and making daily trips
between home, work
and the hospital—
commuting between three cities.
“Keep in mind this was during the winter,” Judy said.
“It was really hard for all of us, but it was very impor-
tant to be there for the boys. It was such a relief when
they came home.”
T O O F A R T O T R A V E L
One by one each boy was discharged from the hospital.
“They were released at different times, so it was
difficult to arrange to visit the boys who were still in
the NICU,” Lynn said. “I felt so bad when Ian was the
only remaining baby in the hospital. I was torn between
being at home and being at the hospital.”
Lynn and Judy agree that the toughest part about the
triplets’ birth was the distance.
“It would have been so much easier if the triplets
could have been born in Coeur d’Alene,” Lynn said.
“Our family could have visited them more. Shawn
would have only had to commute between work and
home, and I would have
been able to spend
more time with them.
Spending two hours a
day driving between
Spokane and Hayden
took time that could
have been better spent
with my babies.”
Today Gus, Max and
Ian are happy, healthy
6-year-olds just starting
first grade. They enjoy
golfing, playing at the
lake and just being
boys.
“We’re excited to be
the spokesfamily for
the Kootenai Health
Foundation Festival of
Trees this year,” Judy
said. “We’ve supported
the Festival from its
inception, but this year hits close to my heart. With the
expansion of Kootenai Health, I hope we can help keep
patients close to home and their families.”
It is stories like Lynn’s that are the driving force
behind Kootenai Health’s new expansion. This year,
all proceeds from the Kootenai Health Foundation’s
Festival of Trees charitable event will benefit the expan-
sion and the services, including neonatal care, that will
be housed within it.
“With the expansion of Kootenai Health,
I hope we can help keep patients close to
home and their families.”
F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N
about the Festival of Trees or to donate
to the Kootenai Health Foundation, call
(208) 625-4438
or visit
KH.org/foundation
.
The Gustavel family will be the 2014 Festival of Trees spokesfamily
and are excited to see the completion of Kootenai’s expansion.
KH . ORG
7
FESTIVAL OF TREES
