NICU Nurse Who Dreamt of Motherhood Adopts Patient Facing Medical Challenges: ‘I’m So Lucky’ (Exclusive)

A Nebraska nurse immediately bonded with a baby born with a range of medical problems — and just one day after her arrival, the newborn’s family asked if they would adopt her. Over the summer, their forever relationship became official.

“Babies should be with their moms. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be together, but the world isn’t perfect,” Mackenzie Denich, a 39-year-old neonatal nurse practitioner in the NICU at Nebraska Children’s Clinic, tells PEOPLE “I’m so grateful she’s here. I tell her every day, ‘I’m so happy to be your mom.'”

“The two of them connected very early. There was just a connection you could see,” adds Dr. James Vargo, a craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgeon at the Nebraska Children’s Clinic, who was part of the baby’s care team. “It was one of those things that was meant to be.”

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In July 2021, Denich’s mother spoke to a couple at church whose daughter was pregnant. They said that their daughter will not be able to take care of the child and that they are looking for someone to raise it.

“They wanted to be grandparents, they didn’t want to be parents again,” says Denich. “Mom said, ‘Mackenzie will take her.’

After her mother told her about the conversation, Denich began writing a shopping list of the baby gear she would need. Then she stopped.

“I thought, ‘What am I doing? This is not happening,’ says the Omaha nurse. “Why would a family choose a single mother who has no other children? So I just forgot about it.”

Mackenzie Denich and baby Athena.

courtesy of Mackenzie Denich

Denich was actually working on October 11, 2021, when Athena was admitted to Children’s Nebraska. When she met the newborn only four hours after birth, she immediately fell in love.

“She needs me,” Denich remembers thinking.

The next day, the baby’s biological grandmother asked Denich if she was interested in adopting the newborn and the nurse said yes.

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Athena was born with a number of medical problems and in the first days of her life underwent surgery to repair a cleft lip and palate, as well as a separated esophagus. However, because Denich specializes in caring for babies with complex medical needs, the baby was able to come home when she was three weeks old.

Mackenzie Denich and Athena.

Emily Mohs

At home, Denich was lucky to have plenty of support.

She comes from a family of nurses – both her parents and her two brothers and her two sisters-in-law are all nurses – and her father takes care of Athena while Denich works at the hospital. “The whole family is well equipped to take care of her,” says Denich. “I can trust her with everything.”

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More than 50 friends and family were at the courthouse when Denich legally adopted Athena, now 2, on July 14, 2023.

“I think adoption is two things: it’s happy and it’s sad,” says Denich. “It was a really beautiful thing that came out of a really traumatic event, but it was worth it. I am committed to doing the best I can for her – both with her medical care and with her little heart.”

Mackenzie Denich and Athena.

Emily Mohs

People often ask what the girl’s “diagnosis” is and why she is smaller than other children her age, but her mother – who advocates acceptance of people with differences – says it doesn’t matter and refuses to answer.

Athena, who wears a hearing aid, uses a feeding tube and is undergoing speech and physical therapy, currently has a team of 15 medical professionals and has had six surgeries to date. But she’s not defined by her medical challenges: she’s also a chatty kid who loves puppies, coloring and trips to the zoo.

“What’s not to like about it?” says Denich’s mother, Brenda, a pre-op and PACU nurse at the orthopedic hospital. “She’s pretty special.”

For more on Denich’s story, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Mom of Mackenzie Denich, Brenda Denich and Athena.

Courtesy of Mackenzie Denich

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Athena still sees her biological grandparents every week, and talks regularly to her biological aunt, cousin and biological parents.

“We have pictures of them in our home and we talk about it because I don’t want her to ever see the day she finds out. I just want her to know,” says Denich. “I hope she feels deeply wanted, loved and cared for.”

If you would like to make a donation to the Nebraska Children’s NICU in Athena’s honor, you can do so here.

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