On Halloween, Inova Loudoun Hospital hosted the 15th annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) reunion with a drive-by parade. Dedicated NICU team members greeted former patients from a distance.
“Our annual NICU Reunion is an event that families and staff look forward to all year,” said Lori Caslin, a NICU nurse at Inova Loudoun Hospital. “We are privileged to play a role in supporting these families from the start, and we care for these babies as we would our own.”
Caslin said it’s especially joyful to share the event this year during unsettled times and let families know that they remain in their hearts.
“It’s so heartwarming to see these children and their families grow and thrive,” she said.
Many of the event attendees come out yearly for the reunion celebration. Clinical Director of Postpartum and NICU, Gina Harrison, said these bonds last a lifetime.
“Some of our NICU graduates spend months with us before they are big enough to go home, during this time my nurses care for them as if they were their own babies,” she said. “I’ll sometimes hear nurses singing to them, reading to them or telling them stories.”
The reunion was presented by the Inova Loudoun Hospital NICU, NICU Family Support Program, NICU Parent Advisory Committee, Inova Health Foundation and March of Dimes.
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