NICU Reunion Brings Together Patients, Families and Care Providers

Hawaiian music filled the air as toddlers chased bubbles and played with hula hoops. Proud and happy parents watched over the fun while reconnecting with old friends.

This was the patient reunion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Creek Medical Center on October 17th. Held every other year, the gathering brings together NICU patients and their families to reunite with many of the nurses and physicians who cared for them during their stay.

Brent and Cindy Johnson of San Ramon brought their twins Isaac and Patience to the party to reconnect with their caregivers. Born at 34 weeks and 5 days, the pair, weighing just four and five pounds, stayed in the NICU for three weeks.

“Everyone was so helpful. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it, “said Cindy with a smile. “We just felt so supported by everyone. One night our nurse, Joy, went out for Chinese food and received a fortune that said, ‘Patience is the remedy of all things.’ We came back to our daughter’s isolette and found that Joy had taped the fortune next to Patience’s name. We were so touched that she was thinking about our daughter during her free time like that. That was above and beyond.”

For 9-year-old Lexi Haddon of Fairfield, a NICU graduate herself born at 31 weeks, the day was about helping out. She was staffing the temporary tattoo table. “It is nice to help people and do nice things, “she said with a small smile while affixing a dolphin tattoo to a little boy.

About 3,500 babies are born each year at Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Creek Medical Center. Roughly 440 of those spend time in the NICU. The Level III NICU has a team of neonatologists, pediatricians, respiratory therapists, and specially trained nurses who provide care for infants with all types of issues, including premature births, infections, and respiratory distress.

“Thank you for coming here today,” said Pavna Sloan, director of Maternal Child Health Services, as she addressed attendees at the event. “It is so heartwarming to see so many of you here and thank you for allowing us to care for you and your families. It is truly our honor.”