When winter storms hit, hospitals prepare for the obvious emergencies. Slippery roads. Delayed staff. Power concerns.
What they don’t always plan for is something much smaller — and more fragile — like a newborn who urgently needs a specific kind of baby formula.
That was the quiet crisis unfolding one icy Saturday at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Virginia.
A request that couldn’t wait
On Jan. 24, hospital administrators realized a newborn in the emergency room needed a particular formula — and the hospital didn’t have it.
The baby hadn’t eaten for three days. Waiting wasn’t an option.
So the call went out to two people who usually work far from patient bedsides: Tyler Stanger, an engineering supervisor, and Tyler Underwood, a maintenance apprentice.
Braving the storm
Without hesitation, the two men dropped what they were doing and headed out into the storm.
Snow and ice coated the roads. Cars slid. Visibility was poor. Still, they made their way to a nearby Walmart, navigating slick parking lots and unfamiliar baby aisles.
Neither had much experience buying formula. Finding the right one took time. Leaving the lot took even longer. But they didn’t turn back.
Back to the hospital, safely
Eventually, Stanger and Underwood returned to the hospital with the formula in hand.
It was a small box. But inside it was exactly what the newborn needed — nourishment, comfort, and a chance to stabilize.
For the two workers, the moment carried extra weight. Their jobs usually keep them behind the scenes, fixing systems and keeping the building running. That day, their work touched a life directly.
A family cut off by weather
The storm had disrupted more than hospital supply chains.
The baby’s parents were unable to reach the hospital safely and called 911 for help. An ambulance transported them through the dangerous conditions so they could be with their child.
Hospital leaders later emphasized that it was a collective effort — from emergency responders to clinical staff to maintenance workers — that ensured the baby received care.
Recognition for quiet heroes
On Jan. 25, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery shared the story publicly, posting a photo of the two men holding the formula inside Walmart.
They were called healthcare heroes — not for dramatic medical procedures, but for showing up when something simple, urgent, and human was needed.
Why this story resonates
Hospitals are often defined by doctors, nurses, and life-saving technology. But moments like this remind us that care doesn’t always come from a stethoscope or an operating room.
Sometimes it comes from people willing to step outside their job description, brave bad weather, and make sure a baby doesn’t go hungry.
And sometimes, that’s what heroism looks like.
