Video: Neonatal reunion in Tupelo

[syndicaster id=’5351704′]

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – There was a very special day for some special children and their parents recently.
Outside it looked like the entrance to the Intensive Care Unit of the North Mississippi Medical Center Women’s Hospital. But as visitors approached, they saw that it had been transformed into the Emerald City, with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and even the nasty Wicked Witch of the West on hand. The Wizard of Oz was the theme of this year’s annual reunion for the children and their parents who spent many days at the NICU.
“Most of them were born before 40 weeks gestation,” explained Dana Hobby, a speech pathologist at the NICU. “Most of them were born really early and were very sick when they were born so they spend a lot of time in the hospital with us two to three months at a time, Hobby said.
“This NICU reunion means alot to us,” explained Stephanie Lindsey of Baldwyn. “This is like our second family. We stayed here for three months so we got to know everybody and got real close to everybody,” she said.
Hunter Lindsey had been born with several complications that required special care offered here.
“A lot of fear but all the doctors are wonderful and all the nurses were wonderful, all the staff was wonderful”, said Hunter’s dad Brandon Lindsey.
The neonatal care offered here at North Mississippi Medical Center Women’s hospital is so specialized one couple came all the way from Starkville to utilize the facilities.
“We were brought to Tupelo because we were high risk being a twin pregnancy so this is where we started and this is where we left, Misty Barrett said.
Like the Lindseys, Barrett and her husband Heath come back to Tupelo for these reunions because they consider the staff to be like family.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *