When Kate Brenner’s son Henry was born prematurely, the neonatal intensive care unit( NICU) at the NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns became a home away from home. Today, Henry is happy and healthy, and Kate is running the TCS New York City Marathon to support Team NYP.
“I had had a textbook normal pregnancy,” says Kate. “I had even run a 5k a few weeks before Henry was born.”
There were no signs of concern; Kate and her husband were spending time with family in the Berkshires and had recently attended a concert.
Kate knew when the time came, her OB-GYN at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Katrina Bradley, would support her every step of the way.
One night, Kate woke to find her water had broken. The timing left the family in total disbelief: Henry wasn’t due for another six and a half weeks, so she couldn’t have been going into labor. “We were in such denial we went to the hospital with barely anything, only cell phones and wallets—we thought we had more time,” she says.
“The night I arrived at the hospital is a night I’ll never forget,” Kate recalls. “I cried at the check-in desk on the labor and delivery floor and to the triage nurse, and they comforted me as they would a friend or a sister, telling me everything was going to be OK.”
Henry arrived on July 23 needing critical support to help him continue to thrive. The Children's Hospital of New York's neonatal intensive care units are among the most highly regarded in the country. Our Level IV NICUs care for thousands of critically ill infants each year, treating babies born prematurely or who need help transitioning from fetal to newborn life, in addition to those who have serious medical conditions.
They are also staffed by some of the most caring clinicians in the world. “During our time in the NICU, I loved how the doctors answered all my questions, individualized Henry’s treatment plan, and leaned into his nickname of Hungry Henry (from the moment he was born, he had quite the appetite),” Kate says. “I loved how the nurses held Henry like he was their own. I remember arriving at the NICU one morning and the overnight nurse had dressed Henry in a sweet little onesie that she had given to us. Seeing him in something other than the white hospital shirt was such a special touch.”
Kate and her family spent every day at the hospital during Henry’s stay.
“This experience really enforced what I already knew about the people I loved: We rose to be our best selves when the moment needed it,” Kate says. “You know your family loves you but don’t need it when everything is going well. I couldn’t have gotten through this without them.”
Inspired by the care she and Henry received inside and outside the hospital, Kate decided to run the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon to help support pediatric care at NewYork-Presbyterian. “I’d like to thank each person we came into contact with at the hospital,” she says. “You encouraged us, kept us healthy, and helped us through each day. You’re truly inspiring.”
“Philanthropy is important to me because I want the causes and organizations I care about to continue thriving,” Kate says. “I also realize that I owe a lot to those who gave to NYP before our (Henry and my) time there and therefore helped Henry and me get the best care possible, and I feel a deep desire to pass that on.”
Henry is now almost one year old. “[Henry] is social, smiley, happy, and mischievous in the best way possible,” Kate says. “The way my family all just adore him and want to spend time with him and wanted to be there for us and beyond puts everything in perspective.”
