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Neighbors | Zack Shively .Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley held a reunion for former children and young adults that were in NICU at their Beeghley Campus on Sep. 9. Allison Oltmann coordinated the event with the help of a planning committee and group of volunteers.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively .Children played on balance platforms at Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley's reunion on Sep. 9 for children that had spent time in the NICU.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively .The hospital had numerous events set up for the children to play, such as sacks for sack races at their reunion event on Sep. 9. The event celebrated the lives of the babies and families that have spent time at the NICU.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively .Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley offered numerous activities throughout the carnival including a giant sized version of the board game Operation. They also had a playground, clowns and a DJ for entertainment.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively .The mobile intensive care unit and police talked to families about their jobs. Both displayed their vehicles, with the police often putting on their sirens for the children. Pictured are Frank Zayas (front) and Deputy Randall Pegg (deep background).
by ZACK SHIVELY
Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley celebrated the good health of the former babies of their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with a reunion carnival at their Beeghley Campus on Sep. 9.
The event had a graduation theme and the staff referred to the children as graduates. The NICU had numerous games, activities and forms of entertainment for the children.
Allison Oltmann, chairperson for the event, said the reunion gave a chance for parents to reacquaint themselves with the NICU staff.
“It’s a celebration to bring everyone back,“ said Oltmann.
The children had many options for playing, including the on-site playground. The staff set up a large version of the game, “Operation.” along with other games, such as a beanbag toss and sack race. They had a live DJ playing pop songs and children’s music. The reunion also had clowns that danced and made balloon animals for the children.
The police and mobile intensive care unit talked to parents and children about their jobs and the way their vehicles are organized. Deputy Randall Pegg brought kids into the front of the car to sit in the driver’s seat while he played the sirens. Frank Zayas and Breanna Jones showed people the back of the mobile intentsive care unit vehicle and the gurney inside.
“It’s very exciting for the staff to see how far the former babies have come,“ Kelly Robertson, a member of the planning committee and the NICU staff, said.
Both Oltmann and Robertson have experience with the NICU as both had children that needed to stay in the NICU themselves.
Many of the children at the event were toddlers or younger, but some older former patients came as well, such as 25-year-old Talia Sheakoski. She had been in the NICU as a baby in 1992. Now, she works as a nurse at Mercy Health and continues to help the NICU with events. For example, she made booklets for the children at this event.
Sheakoski remains in close contact with her doctor at the NICU, Dr. Elena Rossi, who went to Sheakoski’s graduation. Rossi stays close with all of her patients and their families. She said, “it’s rewarding for staff to see how they grow.“
The reunion included as much of the staff as they could have without understaffing the hospital. Parents, volunteers and former staff members also helped the event run smoothly.