Little Girl, Big Legacy: Georgia Bowen and Her Namesake Gown Bring Comfort to NICU Families
At just 7 years old, Georgia Claire Bowen recently visited the Messina Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at South Shore Hospital—not as a patient, but as a beacon of hope.
Accompanied by her mother, Kate Bowen, Georgia visited a similar place to where her journey toward healing began, now witnessing a powerful moment: NICU patients wearing the “Georgie” pediatric gown, the very innovation her story inspired.
While navigating her daughter’s heart transplant journey, Kate – the Founder and CEO of GCB Medical Supply (“GCB”) – identified a need in pediatric care: a specialized hospital gown for infants that balanced clinical access with parent-child bonding.
Drawing on her dual background in the medical field and fashion industry, and with input from Boston Children’s Hospital nurses, doctors, and supply chain, Kate developed The Georgie, a first-of-its-kind infant gown that enables vital medical access while allowing families to safely maintain physical connection and comfort.
The Georgie was an immediate success, leading to the creation of GCB Medical Supply, a company committed to further improving pediatric patient experiences.
Since its founding, GCB has donated more than $1.2 million through the Georgia Claire Bowen Foundation to pediatric heart transplant research, advancing the goal of making heart transplant a cure and not just a gift of time.
Beyond that, GCB remains committed to producing high-quality, sustainable medical products for healthcare providers, patients, and the planet—while championing women and children in communities around the world.
In August of 2024, GCB donated several Georgie pediatric gowns to South Shore Health as part of their philanthropic mission to help support women and children in the communities of their healthcare partners.
Kate and the GCB team received a tour of the NICU from Beth Brooks, RN, and serendipitously learned that Beth had been part of Georgia’s care team at a Boston hospital the night Georgia was born.
Although Georgia was quickly transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital, her case was so rare and dire that Georgia made a lasting imprint on Beth. Now the Nurse Manager of the NICU at South Shore Health, Beth has championed the use of the Georgie gown in the NICU and Special Care Nursery.
Georgia recently had the opportunity to meet Beth once again, as Beth hosted Georgia and Kate for a tour of the NICU, where they visited with Taylor and Wyatt Wagenknecht, whose newborn daughter Marlowe was receiving care.
The Wagenknechts expressed gratitude for The Georgie, sharing how the gown made it easier to bond with their daughter, who was born premature, and helped to preserve their sense of closeness and care as parents, even amidst complex medical treatment.
Seeing her namesake gown supporting families like the Wagenknechts offered Georgia a touching glimpse of the lives she’s helped change.
Georgia’s return to a NICU marks more than a full-circle moment. It’s a testament to how one little girl’s fight to live can spark a movement to comfort, connect, and heal countless others.
