CLACKAMAS, Ore. – For families who once faced the uncertainty of having a newborn in intensive care, Sunday’s event at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center was about joy, gratitude, and reunion. Former NICU patients and their families gathered at the hospital to reconnect with the doctors and nurses who cared for them during some of their most difficult days.
From Crisis to Celebration
For parents, having a baby admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be one of the most frightening experiences imaginable. But on Sunday afternoon, many of those parents returned not in fear, but in celebration of how far their children have come.
One such parent, Meghan Davis, shared her story. In November 2018, she arrived at Sunnyside Medical Center expecting a routine ultrasound. Instead, doctors diagnosed her with a rare pregnancy complication that required immediate intervention.
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“I had an emergency C-section that evening, and Miles spent two weeks in the NICU,” Davis recalled.
At just eight months pregnant, Davis gave birth to a fragile baby boy weighing four pounds, three and a half ounces, who lost additional weight in the days that followed.
A Full Recovery
Both mother and child faced health challenges in the early days, but the NICU staff guided them through the crisis. Six years later, Miles is now a thriving, healthy child. Returning to the hospital, Davis said, felt like a moment of gratitude.
“It just feels good to see the nurses who took care of him,” she said. “They still remember him.”
That bond between families and medical staff is what makes the NICU reunions so meaningful.
Nurses Remember Their Tiny Patients
NICU charge nurse Jennifer Marsh explained that the connection forged in the unit is unforgettable.
“We start them when they’re very tiny and very fragile,” Marsh said. “It’s great to see them back again.”
For nurses, these reunions are a reminder of why their work matters. Many describe them as a “full circle moment,” a chance to see babies who once fit into the palm of their hands running, playing, and laughing years later.
“I’m passionate about this not just because I like to take care of babies,” Marsh added, “but because I’m starting on that journey with them as a new family. Whether it’s a first baby or a fifth baby, it’s still a new family member, and that’s an amazing thing to be present at the beginning.”
The Value of NICU Reunions
Hospital officials said the event is more than a social gathering—it’s a way of reaffirming the importance of neonatal care. NICU teams work long hours under stressful circumstances, often in situations where the tiniest mistake could have life-or-death consequences.
Seeing children return years later, healthy and thriving, serves as a powerful reminder to staff of the impact of their work. It also gives families the chance to thank those who stood with them in their darkest moments.
A Community Built on Care
For many parents, the NICU staff become extended family during weeks or months of intensive treatment. The reunions provide an opportunity to rekindle those relationships and to show their children where their life journeys began.
As the Davis family and many others celebrated at Sunnyside Medical Center, the message was clear: what begins in fear can end in gratitude, growth, and joy.
For the nurses and doctors, seeing their former patients thriving is the ultimate reward.
