On Saturday, May 30, more than 350 patient families and neonatal staff packed the Bayou City Event Center. The reunion celebrated former patients who graduated from Texas Children’s Newborn Center in 2014 after spending 21 days or more in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Parents shared stories of hope and triumph with other NICU families, and reconnected with the nurses and doctors who cared for their critically ill babies.
“Many of these families spent weeks or even months with our NICU staff,” said Pattie Bondurant, vice president of nursing at Texas Children’s Newborn Center. “It is very rewarding to see these children healthy and full of energy, especially when these thriving kids were once very sick.”
Highlights from the NICU reunion included opening remarks from Bondurant and Texas Children’s Chief of Neonatology Dr. Stephen Welty, guest speakers Katy Haynes and Desiree Collins-Bradley, and blessings from Texas Children’s chaplains Johnna Faber and Kirsten Springmeyer.
Texas Children’s NICU reunion also offered exciting entertainment for the children including coloring, face painting, inflatable pony races and balloon art.