LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – It’s not often where nurses and doctors get to see their patients after they get discharged from the hospital, but Bryan Health changed that Friday evening reuniting caretakers and their former NICU patients. The last time Bryan Health hosted this type of reunion was ten years ago, this one, is for the health care company 100th birthday.
Megan Phipps, her daughter Reece, was in the NICU for 144, the longest a patient has stayed and lived at Bryan Health East Campus. The long stay, allowed Phipps and the hospital staff to form a strong relationship.
“We ended up growing a bond with the primary nurses and they are her godmothers to this day,” Phipps said. “Everybody is very surprised to see how successful she has been, she started PRE-K she is walking on her own.”
Phipps had her twins at just 22 weeks old. Riley, one of her daughters, died from sepsis 12 days after they were born. This happened five years ago, during COVID-19, but Phipps says the staff was always supportive.
For Sadie Delp, the NICU Nurse Manager, the reunion gave her an opportunity to see how much her former patients have grown, making her time at the hospital, well worth it.
“We have families stay for days,weeks and months at a time,” Delp said. “It’s cool being able to come back see how well the kids are doing and how well they have grown and re interacting with the families.”
Bryan Health said more than 350 people registered for the event, giving visitors not only the chance to reconnect but also allowing kids to get their face painted, get balloon animals and grab a plate of food.
For Colton Cooper, his son cash was born at 34 weeks old. said families who think they are alone, wants others to know there is always support coming from those who share a similar experience.
“This is not always going to be a long-term thing,” Cooper said. “This is a short-term thing, you are in a an amazing fraternity, that very seldom people understand, I say soak it up and be thankful because you definitely have a story to tell.”
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