WEST READING, Pa. – A special reunion was held Sunday in West Reading to celebrate the strength and resilience of Reading Hospital’s NICU patients and their families.
It was chance for nurses and families to celebrate how far their little ones have come.
The room filled with miracles, babies born very early.
“They each weighed 3 pounds.” said Caitlyn Girard, a mom of twin who stayed in the Reading Hospital NICU for over seven weeks.
“I remember the first day there,” said Girard. “We were a mess and the nurse came up and rubbed my back and said it’s going to be OK.”
Girard’s twin boys were born 10 weeks early, but you wouldn’t know it now.
“Now they’re in second grade,” she said. “They are best friends, they do all the sports: football, wrestling, baseball. They love to swim a lot and going on vacation.”
More importantly, it was a chance to reconnect with the nurses who became family.
“We’re really proud of our graduates and their families because it’s just a huge life milestone to overcome the NICU and see how much they’ve grown since then,” said NICU director, Melanie Jimenez.
The Reading Hospital said the idea for the reunion came from the nurses themselves. Now, it’s a tradition they and the families they helped look forward to.