Lifesaving flight to landmark gift
On a bluebird April day, Peter and Marty Braun, along with their son Nick, stepped onto the new MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital’s state-of-the-art rooftop helipad.
Emblazoned with a bright red “H,” this dedicated landing space ensures rapid transport for critically ill or injured babies, children and young adults from across Washington.
While standing atop the highest point in Tacoma is a once-in-a-lifetime experience on its own, the moment carried deeper meaning — 20 years earlier, Nick took his own lifesaving flight to Mary Bridge Children’s.
Taking flight
In 2006, a 14-year-old Nick sustained an injury that nearly cost him his life. Peter remembers being passed a note in a meeting that read, “Emergency, call Marty.”
On the phone, she presented two options: Should they airlift Nick from Silverdale to Harborview, or to Mary Bridge Children’s?
For Peter, the answer was a no-brainer. He already knew the Tacoma children’s hospital well, having ridden in the Mary Bridge Children’s Courage Classic bike ride for years. Peter also fundraised for child abuse prevention and treatment programs there.
When Nick arrived at Mary Bridge Children’s, he was rushed into the first of two major surgeries led by Randall Holland, MD, FACS. Dr. Holland removed his kidney and repaired his bisected bile duct — a complex intervention that ultimately kept the teen alive.
“He was pretty touch and go,” Peter recalls. “They didn’t think he was going to make it. But trauma’s weird because three days later, he’s out of ICU in a bed, and two weeks later we’re having our other sons’ first birthday in Mary Bridge.”
The community at Mary Bridge Children’s
The hallmark of Nick’s Mary Bridge Children’s journey was the people.
Beginning with Dr. Holland, the Brauns noticed that whenever the surgeon entered the room, his focus went straight to their son. He looked at and spoke to Nick first, and only then turned to Peter and Marty. That simple act built trust and eased anxiety.
Family, A patient in a hospital bed surrounded by four young children and one adult, Nick at Mary Bridge Children’s with his baby brothers (from left) Cooper and Sam, sisters (from left back) Haley and Erin, and aunt (back center) Martha
Nick’s final surgery was held at a Seattle hospital, and Dr. Holland surprised the family by showing up to lend his support. He even scrubbed in for the Roux-en-Y procedure, staying involved from start to finish.
While some of his time at Mary Bridge Children’s remains hazy, Nick will never forget the warmth of being surrounded by such a friendly, invested team.
“It’s such a place that no matter what, they want you to feel comfortable,” he shares. “When you have the nurses and the doctors, they’re also friendly. … It feels like they’re invested specifically in you, and they want you to get better.”
Both Marty and Peter felt that difference, too.
“I think the way the community at Mary Bridge operates — I’ve been in other children’s hospitals, and it’s different,” Peter explains. “My sisters who were nurses noticed it. Everyone noticed it. It’s the focus on the kid and the family. It’s understanding this is a little patient, not a grown-up.”
A statement donation
Peter and Marty came away from their Mary Bridge Children’s experience more committed to the cause than ever.
“We’ve given ever since, because we’re so thankful for the work they did, and we saw everything they do for all these other patients,” Marty shares.
Over the years, the couple has contributed to Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation fundraising campaigns. Peter’s also been a successful bidder in several Festival of Trees Gala auctions.
“I mean, who can’t raise money for sick kids, right?” he says. “I still remember … a little kid … with hair straight up. He rode around Mary Bridge in this little red wagon. And I would tell people, ‘You know, you think things are kind of bad, and then you meet someone like that.’”
So, when the opportunity arose to invest in the campaign to build the new Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Peter and Marty wanted to make a statement. In a full-circle gesture, their generous gift went toward the new helipad — ensuring that more kids like Nick can access immediate, lifesaving pediatric care in their hour of need.
Nick himself is deeply inspired by his parents’ example.
“They’re kind of my guiding light in how I want to be with other people,” he shares. “I want to emulate that as much as possible because it’s such a lofty goal that if I can get to that level of generosity and selflessness, then I’ll know I’ll be in a good place.
“I think building and investing in the local community in places like a children’s hospital grows exponentially what we can expect from our society,” Nick continues.
A legacy continued
Earlier this year, Nick decided to pursue a career in pediatric nursing, following in his nurse aunts’ footsteps and furthering his parents’ legacy of helping others.
“The experience at Mary Bridge and pretty much my whole life … I’ve always seen people helping people,” he shares. “And that’s always something that I’ve been passionate about. So, I started at TCC and then hoping to go to UW after that to get everything done for pediatrics and hopefully work at Mary Bridge.”
Reflecting on his hospital stay decades ago, Nick’s most vivid memory is of a nurse who taught him how to properly swallow pills. In just a few years, he’ll be the one offering that kind of guidance — performing medical assessments, easing fears and providing vital emotional support to young patients just like him.
Marty and Peter couldn’t be prouder.
“He’s a remarkable young man,” Peter shares, emotion catching in his voice. “His experience would have ruined a lot of people, I think, or could have hurt him. But he’s a good human being.”
Bring vital programs, services & equipment into our new Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
