More than 400 people gathered at Crouse Hospital on Sunday afternoon for the 31st annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates Reunion.
The event honored families with premature and critically ill newborns and the medical professionals that cared for them. Of those in attendance were many healthy children who made it through their days in intensive care, some still in the early stages of their lives, others starting on their teenage years and even some adults as well.
Even the organizers of the event are amazed at how well some of the former patients are doing.
“I think it’s a real celebration of these children and what they’ve been through,” Wendy Hoff, NICU Nurse Manager says. “To meet and see all these babies doing well is a wonderful experience.”
For the parents, this event is a source of part of the satisfaction they get from being able to bring their babies home. Beau Zanker, father of nine month old Gavin Zanker, says he was happy to finally be able to have his baby boy go with him to Crouse Hospital, instead of Beau having to visit his child in a hospital room.
“I think it’s really awesome to look around here and see all these babies,” he says. “I know with Gavin, every day when we wake up and he’s here, we’re definitely thankful.”
