{"id":162998,"date":"2026-02-20T20:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/162998\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T20:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:39:09","slug":"from-hca-nicu-nurse-to-new-mom-a-story-that-spans-two-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/162998\/","title":{"rendered":"From HCA NICU Nurse To New Mom: A Story That Spans Two Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Chandler family welcomes Samuel Jr.<\/p>\n

HCA Florida Brandon Hospital celebrates a powerful full-circle moment as one of its NICU nurses welcomed her own baby at the same hospital where she was born more than two decades ago. <\/p>\n

Gabriella \u2018Gabby\u2019 Chandler was born at Brandon Hospital on May 29, 2000. Today, she serves as a nurse in the hospital\u2019s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, caring for premature and critically ill newborns and forming lifelong bonds with the families she serves. <\/p>\n

Chandler\u2019s journey into nursing was inspired by her upbringing in a caregiving household and a desire to be present for patients and families during their most vulnerable moments. She discovered her passion for neonatal care after attending a job fair and accepting a position in the NICU, where she found her calling. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe fall in love with the babies. We fall in love with the families,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cThat connection is what makes this work so meaningful.\u201d <\/p>\n

One of those connections became especially significant when Chandler cared for a premature infant named Rhett Smith nearly three years ago. During his long NICU stay, she developed a close bond with Smith and his family that continued well beyond his discharge from the hospital. Two years later, Smith served as the ring bearer in Chandler\u2019s wedding, symbolizing the deep relationships formed through neonatal care. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On January 21, Chandler and her husband welcomed their son, Samuel Jr., at Brandon Hospital. A photo taken in front of the hospital\u2019s Welcome Baby wall marks the moment with the same type of birth announcement display that once recorded Chandler\u2019s own arrival into the world. <\/p>\n

\u202fCoworkers from across the hospital and families whose babies Chandler previously cared for followed her pregnancy journey and eagerly awaited the arrival of baby Samuel. His birth has become a shared celebration among staff and community members who have witnessed Chandler\u2019s story come full circle. <\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone has the opportunity to care for babies in the same place where their own life began,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cIt is incredibly meaningful to return here as both a nurse and now a mother.\u201d <\/p>\n

HCA Florida Brandon Hospital has served families in the Brandon community for nearly 50 years and continues to celebrate generations of care through its Women\u2019s Services and NICU programs. <\/p>\n

This moment represents more than a personal milestone for one nurse. It reflects the enduring relationships formed within the hospital walls and the impact caregivers have on families long after they leave the NICU. <\/p>\n

For more information about HCA Florida Brandon Hospital\u2019s Women\u2019s Services and NICU, visit\u202fwww.hcafloridabrandonhospital.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chandler family welcomes Samuel Jr. HCA Florida Brandon Hospital celebrates a powerful full-circle moment as one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-162998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}