Texas Children’s Fetal Center celebrates 200 miracles at patient reunion

November 14, 2017

On November 4, Texas Children’s Fetal Center held another successful reunion event at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. Families from around the country and internationally traveled to Houston to reconnect with Fetal Center physicians, nurse coordinators and staff.

Since the first event in 2007, the reunion has brought together patients and their families who received life-saving fetal interventions and fetal surgeries and has become a cherished experience for families and staff alike.

“Many of these families spend extended periods of time with the Texas Children’s Fetal Center staff and in our neonatal intensive care unit,” said Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center. “A bond is formed among our patient families and the team members that treat their children. These families trust us with the wellbeing of the most precious parts of their lives – their children. We don’t take the responsibility lightly, and we cherish the opportunity to see these children grow.”

Jeff and Margaret Boemer reunited with other patient families to celebrate the lives of these precious miracle babies that were cared for at Texas Children’s by our maternal fetal medicine and NICU staff.

“We are grateful to Texas Children’s and all of the doctors who gave us hope and didn’t let us give up on our baby,” said Boemer, whose daughter Lynlee underwent fetal surgery at Texas Children’s to remove a large tumor (sacrococcygeal teratoma) growing from her spine. “It is a joy to have our daughter with us every day and an honor to share Lynlee’s story with other moms going through similar circumstances.”

After recently celebrating their daughter’s one year birthday in June, Lynlee is doing remarkably well and continues to inspire and impress her parents and doctors. In fact, she reached a huge milestone – she started walking and loves to play games with her older siblings.

John and Elysse Mata also attended the fetal reunion celebration with their 3-year-old twin daughters Knatalye and Adeline, who spent 10 months being cared for in our neonatal intensive care unit before being successfully separated in a 24-hour operation on February 17, 2015, at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Stay tuned to Connect for an upcoming article on the Mata twins’ remarkable progress since their historic separation surgery nearly three years ago.