Nearly 300 Attend Annual NICU Reunion at North Oaks
Holiday wish lists were in order as nearly 100 children and 200 of their guests recently attended the annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) reunion at North Oaks Diagnostic Center in Hammond.
Held the morning of Saturday, Dec. 1, the free event for former NICU patients and their family members featured holiday music and videos, storytelling, games, face painting, holiday craftmaking and refreshments. In addition, each former patient received a keepsake professional photo and chance to share their holiday wishes with Santa Claus, as well as an age-appropriate storybook.
Reunion guests were greeted by Neonatologist Ivan Villalta, MD, and other staff members of North Oaks Medical Center’s Critical Care Services and NICU. Overall, 27 North Oaks employees volunteered their personal time to assist with the event alongside four members of the First Baptist Church of Ponchatoula’s Youth Group and two representatives of the Ponchatoula Chapter of Threads of Love. Gift books and Santa photos were provided courtesy of the North Oaks Guild and Greg Randon Studio, Inc., respectively.
A baby may be born prematurely or with a health condition that requires admission to an NICU. In these cases, patient stays may range from a few days to as long as 6 months. With such long lengths of stay, it is natural for a strong bond to form between the babies, their parents and the medical personnel responsible for their care, according to North Oaks Critical Care Services Director Janet Morse, RN.
“The opportunity to visit with our former patients and their families in celebration of their growth and development is a joy, and one that we look forward to each year,” Morse continues. “The annual reunion is a wonderful way to begin celebrating the holiday season.”
The North Oaks NICU ranks among the top 25 percent of such facilities in the country, according to the prestigious Vermont Oxford Study in their review of patient outcomes in selected areas. North Oaks Medical Center has operated an NICU since 1991.
For more information about North Oaks’ NICU or any of the health system’s services for women and children, please call
(985) 230-6647.
From left, Denise and Rhett Fulton of Hammond pose for a picture with Santa Claus and their 20-month-old triplets Lila, Robert and Leigh at the annual North Oaks NICU Reunion. The Fulton triplets made headlines in March 2006 as the first set of triplets born at North Oaks Medical Center in more than a decade. The triplets were born early at 33 weeks and 3 days gestation. Lila weighed 4 lbs., 8.3 oz. and measured 18 inches long, Robert weighed 4 lbs., 0.2 oz. and measured 16.5 inches long, and Leigh weighed 4 lbs., 5 oz. and measured 17 inches long. Lila was required to stay in the NICU for 2 days and Intermediate Care Nursery for 2 weeks, while Leigh stayed in the NICU for 9 days and Intermediate Care Nursery for 2 weeks. Robert was in NICU for 1 day and the Intermediate Care Nursery for 2 1/2 weeks.
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From left, are NICU Reunion guests Marlene, Noel and Alaya Payne of Hammond. Noel spent 3 months in the NICU nursery at North Oaks after her birth. She is now 2 1/2.
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From left, brothers Justin and Khristian Steilberg of Tickfaw show off the candy cane reindeer they crafted together at the annual NICU Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 1. Justin, who is now 4, is an NICU graduate who weighed 4 lbs. when he was born.
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From left, NICU graduate Nicholas Kyzar of Loranger reunites with Neonatologist Ivan Villalta, MD, medical director of the unit.
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North Oaks Orientation Coordinator Dana Goblowsky volunteers as a storyteller at the medical center’s annual NICU reunion as Santa and Critical Care Services Director Janet Morse, RN, look on.
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NICU REUNION 
