Dear Readers,
For just a little while, on September 23, 2018, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital was flooded with 750 NICU graduates and their closest friends and family. We think it’s important to take a moment to say, “Thank you.”
Each of the NICU nurses and doctors were so happy to see the children that were once such tiny, little babies blossoming into happy and healthy little people! More than 40 OH team members greeted, hugged, talked with and loved on each of the little peanuts that joined us under the big top on that day. We got to relive a few scary moments through tears and gratitude. We talked about the long days and even longer nights spent in the NICU. Then, we talked about the best days – the ones that were filled with good news and progress – before the best day… the one where you got to hear the magic words: “You can go home!”
What these conversations taught us this year, and at each NICU Reunion before, is that the bonds we create in the NICU never break. We, as healthcare providers, live some of life’s scariest and most joyous moments right alongside you and the NICU reunion gives us a chance to celebrate our combined victories every year.
As we look forward to next year, it is bittersweet.
We know our numbers will continue to grow year-after-year because between those annual reunions there are new families being initiated into the NICU club. We know that we will see heartbreak on the faces of mothers who can’t hold their baby right away. We know that we will see fathers torn between being with their partner or being with their baby as both recover.
We also know that we will see great milestones met.
We will see mothers and babies look into each other’s eyes as they touch skin-to-skin for the first time. We will see fathers who just weren’t sure about this being a dad thing find the strength and courage to hold up a whole family. We will see tubes removed and weight gains achieved. We are the lucky ones. We get to see it all because, as we care for your babies, we witness your lives. We know that we will share hugs, tears and –yes – even laughter as we endure the bad and the good side-by-side with our new families just as we have done for all the families prior.
That’s why we want to say, “Thank you.” We so appreciate you coming to our NICU Reunion every year but we also appreciate that you trust us enough to share your family and your life with us, even if it’s just for a little while. We could never ask for more. See you next year!