28-04-2025
Families reunite to celebrate NICU milestones and healing
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Sunday was a day full of joy and healing as families who once found themselves in the midst of a difficult and uncertain time are now celebrating milestones with their little ones.
The 4th annual NICU reunion brought a mixture of families together who had babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
They shared stories, reconnected with the health care team, and celebrated the progress their children have made.
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'Judson was born in March of 2024 at 27 weeks, five days gestation. He weighed two ounces, and he spent 70 days in the NICU at the HCA Florida Gulf Coast hospital. It's very overwhelming. But the nurses and the staff are incredible people. They meet you in a place where you know, you're just… you're lost. You're afraid of what the next day's going to bring. And they have confident eyes,' former NICU resident Jennifer Daniels said.
Since Daniel's journey her and her family still remain in strong connections with the staff who cared for them. She says those relationships have turned into lasting friendships.
'I still talk to several of the nurses and several of the therapists today, and I've made some great friendships over those three months that we were in the NICU and there are several that I still talk to, and I feel like I will talk to them for the rest of my life,' Daniels said.
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Many of these babies are born prematurely or with medical conditions that require specialized treatment and care.
Officials say their favorite part of the reunion is reuniting with the babies they helped save.
'One of the families here actually did a fundraising event for us that was a beauty contest. And one of the kids in the beauty contest had been in our NICU like 15 years ago. It was it was amazing. So it's really, really fun. They have continued to support us even after all these years,' Women and Children's Services Vice President Elizabeth Boyle said.
HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital is the only Level III NICU provider in Bay County, which means they can take care of a baby that weighs as little as 28 ounces. Also known as a micro preemie.
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