Children Born Prematurely Reunite With The Doctors & Nurses Who Saved Them
Christina Tarpley was terrified to touch her daughter when she was first born. Her baby, Akira Greene, came into the world almost six weeks early and had to be put on life support equipment in Coney Island Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Tarpley described the heartbreak of seeing her newborn baby being kept alive by tubes connected to her mouth and chest.
“I didn’t want to come near her,” Tarpley recalled. “And then the doctor took my hand and said, ‘That’s your baby. The baby is excited for you to touch her.’ It was just a very strange experience. Very strange, but very good. They took such good care of my little girl.”
On Wednesday, 10 months after she was born, a cheery and chubby Akira returned to Coney Island Hospital for the third annual NICU Reunion Party, where she snuggled in the arms of one of the doctors who helped save her life.
“She looks very healthy and mom is very happy,” said Neonatologist Cherbrale Hickman, the doctor who held Tarpley’s hand in NICU. “And that makes you feel that its an honor to be a part of their care.”
The reunion was styled as a birthday party to celebrate the lives of the children who had been treated at NICU. Kids received gift baskets and prizes. There were clowns to play games and perform magic.
NICU’s Head Nurse Kathleen Marino said she planned the first reunion after Hurricane Sandy as a way to boost moral when the hospital was closed for eight months.
“Myself and my nurses all wondered how they did. What’s their story and let’s celebrate it,” she said. “When they were born, they were maybe three pounds. And now they’re grown up and actually have hair and are running around and laughing.”
One three-year-old, Jacob Malan, was scooting around the party’s guests all afternoon. Like most children his age, he seemed to have a limitless supply of energy. However, Jacob was born eight weeks early. He weighed only 4 pounds, 20 ounces, and had to be kept in an incubator for a month after he was born, said his grandparents, who drove him all the way from Delaware to attend the party.
“We thought it was important to travel and meet with the people who helped save the life of this child who is so amazing. Just watch him, he’s a mountain of love,” said Jacob’s grandfather, Howard Yankow. “Think of it: Kids like him would have died 20 or 25 years ago. And now, I have this beautiful three-year-old that’s about to go Monday into Head Start.”
