PICU Family Resources
Support the PICU Resource Fund — Because Families Need More Than Medical Care
Special Thanks To
Support the PICU Resource Fund — Because Families Need More Than Medical Care
For families in the PICU, life changes overnight. A child’s medical emergency brings uncertainty, fear, and an immediate financial burden that affects every part of daily life.
A recent prospective study of PICU caregivers at a major medical center (2021–2022) found that families spend an average of 13% of their weekly income on nonmedical out-of-pocket expenses (NOPEs) while their child is hospitalized. For families already experiencing financial distress, this number rises dramatically—up to 34.7% of their income each week.
These costs include food, transportation, parking, lodging, and utilities. In fact, 44% of highly distressed families worried about having their utilities shut off while caring for their hospitalized child.
Food expenses alone were identified as the main driver of increased financial distress, and nearly one-third of surveyed caregivers reported high levels of financial strain.
These findings make one thing clear: families need support that extends beyond medical care.
PICU Funding - A3 Article reference: Source: Mahavadi VS, Aaby D, Paquette E, Chorniy A, Foster C, Goodman DM. Association of Financial Distress With Nonmedical Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Those With Critical Illness. Hosp Pediatr. 2025;15(11):932-941. doi:10.1542/hpeds.2025-008381
About the PICU Family Resources
The PICU Resource Fund provides direct support to families facing the unexpected:
help with housing, transportation, meals, utilities, and other essential nonmedical costs that allow parents to stay focused on their child’s recovery.
What Your Gift Can Do:
- $25 a meal voucher for a parent who hasn’t left their child’s room in days
- $50 gas or taxi assistance for a fragile child’s critical appointments
- $100 grocery or supply gift cards
- $250 coverage of an overdue household utility bill
- $500 parking vouchers for families enduring long hospitalizations
Meet the Families Your Support Helps
Ava & Olivia:
Born at 27 weeks, Ava required a tracheostomy and ventilator to survive. After months in the NICU and PICU, she eventually went home on the highest ventilator settings ever approved. Today, both girls are thriving — a testament to the strength of their family and the dedicated care teams who supported them.
Autumn:
Born at just 23 weeks and weighing barely one pound, Autumn spent her first 524 days at Lurie Children’s battling serious lung complications. Now a joyful preschooler, she still requires frequent PICU care. Her mom, Tyler, balances love, resilience, lost work, downtown parking fees, and long commutes — burdens made lighter by donor-supported resources.
Lou and Archie:
Twin brothers Lou and Archie were born at just 27 weeks, beginning their lives in the NICU at Lurie Children’s. While Archie grew stronger and went home after four months, Lou’s path proved more complex. After a bowel perforation at five days old and multiple surgeries, he required a tracheostomy and ventilator to breathe. He spent nearly 10 months in the hospital before finally going home.
For their mom, Lauren, a nurse practitioner in the PICU at Lurie Children’s, the experience was both familiar and terrifying.
“I understood the medicine,” Lauren said. “But being the parent is completely different.”
Once home, Lou thrived with therapy and support. But at 2½ years old, a routine ultrasound revealed a large tumor on his liver. Lou was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma and underwent surgery and eight months of chemotherapy — much of it in the same PICU where Lauren works.
Today, Lou’s cancer is in remission, and his care team is once again working toward removing his trach. Through it all, Lauren says the experience has deepened her understanding of the families she cares for every day.
“Parents know their kids best, and they have so much knowledge to bring to the table.”
All donations are tax-deductible and will be acknowledged by Lurie Children’s Foundation.
On behalf of the patients and families of Lurie Children’s, thank you for your support!
