FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2008
CONTACT: Chris Boyle, Communications Manager
860.545.9956 or pager 860.220.3569 

"LOCAL FAMILY SHOWS APPRECIATION TO NICU NURSES FROM CCMC ON THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW"

HARTFORD, Conn.—Five staff nurses from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Connecticut Children's Medical Center got the surprise of a lifetime when they received special recognition on the Martha Stewart show. The family of 2-year-old twins Sallie and Sophie Kritzman of Simsbury, submitted their story to the show as part of a special upcoming broadcast on nurses.

Sallie and Sophie were born 13 weeks premature in December 2005 and were patients in the Connecticut Children's NICU well into 2006. Their heartwarming story was accepted by the producers of the Martha Stewart show who invited the family and five nurses the Kritzmans mentioned in their story to the taping of the show on April 3 in New York City.

The five nurses—Teresa Conforto, Lisa D'Arco, retired NICU nurse Sally Leed, Kim Power and Tracey Proulx—were in the studio audience with dozens of other nurses who were invited for the episode that paid tribute to the nursing profession.

However, Teresa, Lisa, Sally, Kim and Tracey, were unaware that the Kritzman family also were in attendance and they were taken by surprise when the family appeared on stage to tell Martha Stewart their story about the extraordinary care they received at Connecticut Children's.

This special episode of the Martha Stewart show is scheduled to air nationally on May 8, as part of National Nurses Week. The Martha Stewart show airs locally Monday through Friday at 2 pm on WVIT-NBC30.