The Kramer family is an active household full of love, laughter, and reading — a pastime that connected the family of four during life-saving measures at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In April 2020, Emily and Thomas Kramer welcomed their first son Brayden at 26 weeks. He weighed 1 pound and 7.3 ounces and spent more than five months in the NICU.
Brayden was also born during the pandemic, requiring his parents to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. “My husband and I couldn’t be together with him at the same time in his room,” explains Emily. “We couldn’t hold Brayden until he was about a month old.”
Thomas says Brayden was fragile and small but “feisty.” Thomas and Emily read to Brayden during every one of his 152 days in the NICU.
“Reading is how we bonded,” Thomas says. “When Emily and I would walk in and talk to Brayden, he would perk up. I believe he began to recognize our voices from reading, and he understood we were different than the medical staff coming in.”
When the Kramers’ second son, Caleb, was born in June 2023 at 30 weeks, he weighed just under 2.5 pounds and spent 43 days in the NICU. As they had with Brayden, the Kramers read to Caleb. Their favorite book, “I’ve Loved You Since Forever,” is a story about the love between a parent and child.
The healing power of reading to children is why the Kramers decided to organize a book drive to show their support to NICU families at the Children’s Center. This December marked the family’s fifth year dropping off hundreds of new children’s books. Their message to NICU families: You are not alone.
“We want NICU families to know that people truly do care; we’ve been in your situation. It can be isolating,” says Emily. “I package the books with help from Brayden, and we attach a little card that says, ‘Donated with love from NICU parents.'”
Thomas adds to the sentiment, underscoring the difficulty of seeing children in an incubator and only being able to touch their hand or head.
“I want parents to know they can still bond with their child,” he says. “Unfortunately for some families, they’re not going to be able to leave with their child. These books will become a life-long memento of the time that they shared. Looking back, they might be able to smile on this one day.”
Even with the recent book drop, the Kramers are already looking ahead. Each year the book drive continues to grow. The couple hopes one day that Brayden and Caleb will carry on the tradition.
“I want them to continue this. It’s important for them to know their stories,” says Emily. “The book drive is our way of attempting to show our gratitude to Hopkins.”
Today, Brayden and Caleb are thriving and growing. They enjoy playing sports — Brayden’s been on skis since he was a toddler — and of course reading.
“Brayden is an amazing big brother,” the Kramers share. “They love each other a ton. They are the best of buds. They’re doing phenomenally.”
Topics: Alumni, Faculty and Staff, Friends of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Women's and Children's Health, Strengthening Partnerships