N. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Former neonatal intensive care unit patients and their families visited the Lehigh Valley Zoo on Sunday for a reunion hosted by St. Luke’s Hospital, giving NICU “graduates” an opportunity to reconnect with the nurses and care teams who helped care for them during some of their earliest days.
The reunion brought together children who spent time in the NICU between 2019 and 2023, along with their parents and members of their medical teams. The event gave families a chance to celebrate milestones, reconnect with caregivers and reflect on their journeys since leaving the hospital.
The neonatal intensive care unit provides specialized medical care for newborns who need additional support after birth, including premature babies and those who are sick.
“A lot of the premature babies or sick babies that we treat in the NICU, they are at risk for developmental delays, cerebral palsy, what that entails,” Dr. Fadel Balawi, the chief division of neonatology at St. Luke’s University Health.
For parents, having a baby in the NICU can be an emotional and unexpected experience.
“It’s probably one of the hardest things anyone can go through as a mom,” Kaitlyn Kistler said. “You have this picture in your head of what your labor and delivery experience is supposed to be, and no one thinks that their baby is going to be in the NICU.”
Kistler understands that experience from both sides.
As a patient care manager in the NICU, Kistler works with families whose newborns require intensive care. But she also knows what it is like to be a NICU parent. Her son, Jack, spent time in the NICU, giving her firsthand insight into the fear and uncertainty families can face.
That personal experience has shaped the way Kistler connects with the families she serves.
“I think it’s easier to be able to adapt and understand someone else’s point of view when you’re in that situation, when you can sit next to them and say, ‘I know what you’re going through…’” Kistler said.
For the medical teams who care for these newborns, seeing former patients years later can also be a meaningful reminder of the impact of their work.
“To see them walking around, laughing, smiling, growing and developing well — that really gives us the opportunity to continue to do what we’re doing and do the best we can to help these children,” Balawi said.
The reunion offered families and caregivers a chance to look beyond the difficult days in the NICU and celebrate the growth and progress of the children who once needed intensive care.