(Westwood) – Almost 600 former patients, family members, and health care staff attended UCLA Health’s 32nd NICU reunion, an event held every two years in celebration of the “graduates” of UCLA Health’s neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
Patients and families who were cared for extended periods of time in either the at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital in Westwood or UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center NICUs were invited to reunite with the doctors, nurses, and staff that cared for them during some of the earliest moments of their lives. Former patients who joined today are now thriving, ranging in age from toddlers to high school and college students and older.
Amid activities such as a petting zoo, pony rides, and a bounce house, this event marked an important milestone for many families looking back at some of the most difficult moments of their journeys.
Hall family
Erin and Dan Hall knew from the very beginning that they would have a complicated birth journey. When she was 5 years old, Erin was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic lung and digestive disease that affects a person’s reproductive system. When she became pregnant with twins – the first set of twins at UCLA Health born to parents with cystic fibrosis – her doctors were able to prepare for the different complications along the way, including an early delivery via C-section and two NICU teams on standby for her boys. Wyatt and Emmett were born at 34 weeks and spent just over a month in the NICU.
“I remember being so happy they got to ride in the same basinet from the operating room to the NICU and how confident I was in the ability of the nurses to care for Emmett when we had to leave him in the hospital since we brought Wyatt home first. Now, the boys are in first grade and doing great! They love their friends, playing soccer and video games. Their favorite thing is Ghostbusters and are regularly out running around pretending to capture ghosts with their dog Ecto.” – Erin Hall
Clay Ventura family
For Tridonna Clay, being able to attend the NICU reunion is especially meaningful. Her son, Luke Ray Ventura, was born at only 24 weeks. He spent the first five months of his life in the NICU, where doctors and nurses constantly monitored his progress, concerned about potential bacterial infections, brain bleeds and blood clots in his arteries, heart and legs. Because his lungs had been so underdeveloped, Luke was on oxygen until just six months ago, but he is now thriving.
“At one point we didn’t know if he would make it. I really believed in the doctors. They did everything and took every precaution. The nurses were also incredible, having empathy for us as a family motivated us emotionally to move forward and know there was a brighter side to this.
“I try not to remember all the scary moments because there were so many good moments that deserve to be remembered. I remember the good reports, the days when his brain scans were clear, the infections he overcame, his lungs getting stronger, and the day we were finally able to bring him home. Now, he’s walking, communicating well. He’s thriving. The fact that we’re here and going to the reunion is incredible.” – Tridonna Clay
Licon family
Logan and Lane Licon were born in Bakersfield, CA, at 23.5 weeks, just shy of the 24-week mark doctors had told parents Katrina and Jeremy that they needed to reach for viability. Both children were under 2 pounds at birth, and given his critical state at the time, Logan was helicoptered to UCLA’s NICU for care, where Lane joined soon thereafter. Katrina and Jeremy worked with the nurses to make sure they could spend as much time with their family as they could. Despite the ups and downs during that time, Lane was strong enough to go home after 4.5 months, and Logan after 6. Both are now 13 years old, healthy, and have met all their developmental milestones.
“We had seven primary nurses who were like our angels. They took care of our boys when were weren’t able to be there, and for such a long road, it was so nice to have them. I’m still friends with a lot of them to this day. You wouldn’t know just by looking at them everything that they’ve been through. They are miracles.” – Katrina Lincon
