The children of the NICU are amazing. They fight for a world filled with anguish, horror and despair. They fight because life in its most basic form simply wants a chance. The lifecycle of a NICU baby is defined by loss. One either loses tubes, wires and IVs or loses the fight. And yet the moment of victory is very simply defined by relief. Leaving is almost never the end of the journey, and so in the absence of champagne and cheers, the staff, parents and baby simply let out a sigh of relief.
The heroes of the NICU are the nurses who become yhe support network that the family desperately needs to survive. They cry with us; they laugh with us. The nurses are vehicles of the machine above them, but in their brilliance they become the kind hand of hope connecting you to that sigh of relief as you walk your baby out the doors.
For us there were two very special doctors who saved the day. They fought for us. They believed in us and Amelia, and they got her home to us faster than we could have imagined.
And our fellow NICU parents were the late night, early morning warriors who fought this battle alongside us. Not a club we wanted to join, but one whose shield we now proudly bear.
We’re going home now. Thank you to the wonderful staff of CPMC, and to all of the heroes who helped us bring our daughter home.
