Sarah Carmona Zink didn’t know it then, but the days she spent in the NICU with her son Howie in 2016 would shape the rest of her life. He was born with gastroschisis, a condition where the intestines form outside the abdominal wall. At five days old, he underwent lifesaving surgery.
"I didn't get to hold Howie until he was eight days old."
She never forgot what that felt like. The waiting, the machines, the uncertainty. And she never forgot the people who rallied around her family during those impossible days.
"I knew the moment we checked out of the NICU that I would do all I could to give back."
That promise became action. In 2017, Sarah made her first gift to Renown Children's Hospital, $50,000 worth of medical-grade bassinets for the very NICU that cared for Howie. She joined the Renown Health Foundation Board of Directors. And now, nearly a decade later, she steps into the role of board chair.
She showed up then. She's still showing up now.
Why is this cause personal for you?
Li’l Howie is my why. The experience in the NICU changed everything. The nurses, doctors, and staff didn't just care for our baby. They gave me hope. I was lucky to have support around me. Not every family is. That's what drives me.
I like to say I bleed purple. This community took care of my son. Giving back isn't a choice I make. It's just who I am now.
What does giving back look like, and what does the board do?
Giving back is about being there for families in the moments that matter most. It's about making sure families feel supported, cared for, and not alone. That commitment led me from grateful patient to donor to board member to board chair.
Most people think hospitals fund themselves. They don't. Renown is a not-for-profit academic health system. Insurance covers the basics. It doesn't always cover the equipment, programs, and spaces that help families through their hardest moments. That's where the Foundation comes in. As board chair, my role is to be an ambassador, connecting our community to work they may not know exists. It's fundraising, advocating, and volunteering.
The power of philanthropy allows us to accelerate progress, invest in innovation, and build healthcare resources that would otherwise take decades to achieve.
The Conrad Breast Center, Sophie's Place Music Therapy Playroom, Deep Brain Stimulation. All of it is proof. This happened because people showed up.
What happens when the community shows up?
Sometimes it's the simplest things that matter most. A pediatric nurse once told me that some kids felt embarrassed walking the unit in a hospital gown. That stayed with me. When you’re sick, feeling like yourself matters. Comfort is part of healing.
That's why I started Comfies for Kids and Really Really Tiny Babies through my nonprofit, the Dreams Foundation, INC. Last year alone, we raised $10,000 in donations and another $10,000 in pajamas, blankets, and comfort items for children at Renown Children's Hospital.
When a child is feeling their worst, something soft and familiar can help them feel a little more like themselves.
This May, we're celebrating 10 years of Comfies for Kids and Really Really Tiny Babies — and it happens to fall right alongside Li'l Howie's 10th birthday. Our Amazon registry is open all month. If you're looking for a way to show up for a child in the hospital, this is it. Click here to give comfort to a child in the hospital.
Where do you see the greatest need ahead?
Children’s care will always be close to my heart. But cancer care is personal, too. While Howie was in the NICU, one of my closest friends was fighting stage 4 stomach cancer. I like to call her my NICU mentor. She coached me through all of it. Being a new mom and having to go home each night while Howie stayed behind in the NICU. She passed away in 2017. I carry her with me in this work.
Renown is already leading the way. The William N. Pennington Cancer Institute, the Conrad Breast Center and Nevada’s only nationally accredited rectal cancer surgical program show what’s possible. Now we have an opportunity to go further, to ensure every family hears: we can treat this, and we can treat it here at home.
That's what we're building together.
Does every donation really make a difference?
Truly, every dollar, every act of giving matters. To patients. To families. To the teams providing care every day.
But it's not only about dollars. Showing up looks different for everyone. It might be a donation. It might be volunteering, advocating, or simply telling someone about the work being done here. Each act builds something bigger than any one person could build alone.
That's what a community does.
