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Parents and patients attend first NICU reunion at ACH’s Beeghly Campus
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
In most respects, Kelly Robertson’s 4-year-old triplets, Mathew, Michael and Morgan, are like other children their age: They attend preschool, enjoy being active and love assembling puzzles, reading books and swimming.
To Robertson, though, the typical aspects of their lives also are their greatest blessing.
“They were born at 29 weeks, 11 weeks early,” the New Middletown woman recalled. “It was frightening to have babies who were medically fragile.”
On the other hand, the three youngsters received “top-notch” care in Akron Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive-care unit, where they spent between 68 and 77 days, Robertson said.
Her appreciation for the care they received also was the main reason she and the triplets came to Saturday’s first NICU reunion at ACH’s Beeghly Campus, 6505 Market St.
Spearheading the effort was the Family Action Collaborative Team, which worked with parents and hospital staff.
The three-hour gathering brought together hundreds of former NICU patients, family members, volunteers, caregivers and physical, occupational and respiratory therapists to celebrate the lives and successes of those who spent time in the unit or in a special-care nursery. The “graduates” received diplomas and special caps.
The amount of time babies spend in NICUs can vary from a few days to up to four months, depending on several factors, noted Mary Ellen Michael, a registered nurse who also manages ACH’s unit.
The estimated 130 “graduates” ranged from a few months old to age 29, Michael said. She also explained that jaundice, withdrawal symptoms, infections, hypoglycemia and respiratory problems are other common reasons infants are in NICUs.
Robertson, who helped organize the event and is a secretary in the NICU at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital’s Boardman Campus, recalled that her sons were on ventilators, and that Michael had to undergo surgery when he was 3 weeks old. Now he receives physical and occupational therapy twice weekly, she continued.
Robertson also had nothing but praise for those who cared for her three children.
“Try to keep the faith and positive thoughts in the NICU, and know your children will receive the best care they can,” she advised.
Also thrilled to see the progress of those who were in the NICU was Dr. Elena Rossi, who’s worked 27 years in the unit.
“It’s so rewarding. You can’t imagine giving families good and bad news and being unsure of how things will be. It’s amazing how these kids have thrived,” she said. “It takes a village to take care of these babies in the NICU.”
Dr. Rossi, who said the unit strives to provide “family-centered care,” pointed to advances in medical technology, treatments and therapies since she began nearly three decades ago. She also estimated that 80 percent of mothers provide breast milk, which protects against infection.
Dr. Rossi’s face lit up when former patients or family members spoke to her during Saturday’s gathering. Among them was John Castronova of Austintown, the father of 6-month-old twins, Ellie and Cora.
The girls spent between four days and one week in the NICU after having been born four weeks early, noted their mother, Kelly Castronova, a third-grade teacher at Austintown Intermediate School.
The twins needed to gain weight before they could be released, Kelly Castronova said. Their brief time in the unit was marked by emotional highs and lows for their parents, but Ellie and Cora continue to do well, she added.
“I can’t say enough about the care they got,” said Kelly Castronova, who praised hospital personnel for giving her daily updates on the twins’ progress.
The reunion also featured clowns, games and activities, as well as information on topics such as Sudden Infant Death syndrome, sleeping disorders and good sleeping habits.