Child's Birth Year
2020

State/Province/Territory
Florida

NICU Hospital for my journey
Sarasota Memorial Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Beeps, buzzers, alarms, and acronyms.
Our 69 days in the NICU felt like an out-of-body experience—like a fever dream where I laughed and cried in equal measure, prayed and Googled with equal intensity.

When our daughter Abby made her debut at 26 weeks, my husband and I were both working in law enforcement. We were used to walking into chaos and fixing things—triaging, managing, controlling outcomes. But the NICU was a world where none of that applied. We couldn’t “make it better.” And that was terrifying.

I’ve never taken so many notes or looked up so many terms. I never imagined I’d be so proud to be compared to a mama kangaroo. In the NICU, I learned what truly matters—and what real heroes look like. And it wasn’t what I thought it was. More than anything, what I remember is how the team at Sarasota Memorial made me feel: heard, validated, and supported. In the NICU, we felt scared, and unsure, but thanks to the nurses and doctors we never felt alone.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
Abigail was born at just 26 weeks. By the end of her first day, she was already off intensive respiratory support and on room air—determined from the start. Nurses laughed as she swatted away their attempts to clean her, already making her preferences known.

The word that echoed through the NICU when staff talked about Abby was “strong.” Four years later, it’s still the perfect word to describe her—strong in her tenacity, her opinions, and her unwavering sense of self. I’m proud of my NICU grad because from her very first breath, she’s shown us all what resilience looks like.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
2lbs 5oz

Weeks Gestation
26 Weeks

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Number of Days, Months, or Years)
69 Days