UAMS NICU Staff Reconnects with Former Patients, Their Families at Annual Reunion
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) held its annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Reunion on May 4 at the Little Rock Zoo, giving children and their families a chance to mingle with UAMS staff members who supported them through the highs and lows of their hospital stays.
Sara Peeples, medical director of the NICU, helps a child try out safari gear for the event’s photo booth.
The UAMS NICU provides care for infants in the wake of high-risk pregnancies, including premature births and other significant newborn health issues. Some infants spend weeks or months in the unit, and their families form strong bonds with the nurses, therapists and other employees who serve them each day, said Sara Peeples, M.D., a neonatologist and medical director of the NICU.
“I think our team enjoys this event just as much as the families do,” she said.
About 500 people registered to attend the reunion, which was held at the zoo for the third consecutive year.
Peeples greeted many of the families as they entered the zoo’s Civitan Pavilion. She helped the children try on animal ear headbands and safari gear before they posed for pictures with a toy elephant.
On the other side of the pavilion, attendees chowed down on pizza and cupcakes and visited booths dedicated to face-painting and musical instruments. Nearby tables provided information about other organizations that serve the families, including the UAMS Milk Bank and the Ronald McDonald House of Arkansas and North Louisiana.
The NICU Reunion featured laughter, hugs and even an occasional piggyback ride.
Throughout the venue, children reconnected with the NICU team, sharing laughter, hugs and even an occasional piggyback ride.
Julie Toon, RN, a complex care nurse at Arkansas Children’s, has experienced both sides of the reunion. She spent 12 years at UAMS as a NICU nurse — a span that included the 2019 birth of her twins, Wren and Willow. Wren was born with Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect, and she encountered feeding difficulties that required a four-week stay in the NICU, Toon said.
“It was a full-circle moment for me,” she said. “You can relate to the moms so much more when you’ve been a NICU mom yourself.”
Toon said she enjoyed attending the reunion to see her friends and former colleagues.
“I’m thankful for the doctors, nurses and other staff members who do a fantastic job of taking care of these babies,” she said.
The reunion offered a variety of fun activities for the children, including a face-painting area.
Jessy Churchwell said he and his wife, Johnna, have many reasons to be grateful for the UAMS NICU. Their 9-year-old daughter Charlee was born in Mena but had to be airlifted to UAMS, where she stayed in the NICU for 30 days. Five years later, twins Haeven and Nevaeh had a similar experience, spending the first three months of their lives in the NICU.
During those difficult times, the Churchwells came to see the NICU staff as an extension of their family, Jessy Churchwell said.
“If it weren’t for the NICU at UAMS, some of the babies here today wouldn’t have had a chance of surviving,” he said. “The people there work miracles, and they were so good to our family.”