'I'm So Lucky to Be Her Mom

WHEN 2-DAY-OLD ATHENA WAS FACING MOUNTING MEDICAL NEEDS, HER FAMILY ASKED MACKENZIE DENICH TO RAISE THE LITTLE GIRL. INSIDE THEIR EMOTIONAL JOURNEY 

- JOHNNY DODD and WENDY GROSSMAN KANTOR

When Mackenzie Denich heard that a family at her mother's church was looking for someone to adopt the baby that their daughter was carrying but would be unable to care for, the 39-year-old neonatal nurse practitioner wasted no time expressing interest. She even began compiling a list of everything she'd need for a baby, only to dismiss the idea because the family was also considering placing the child with a married couple who had a few kids. "I started telling myself, 'Why would they choose a single woman with no kids? This just isn't happening,"" she says.

But just three months later, in October 2021, Denich met the 4-hour-old infant at Children's Nebraska, the Omaha-based hospital where Denich works in the NICU. She'd only recently learned the baby would have a host of medical complications. "She needs me," Denich remembers telling herself. And by the very next day, she found out she was right. The baby’s biological grandmother telephoned Denich to ask if there was a possibility that the nurse would adopt the fragile infant. Denich’s answer? A resounding “yes.”