All patients treated in the Special Care Nurseries during the last two years and their families were invited to attend the reunion. The room was filled with nearly 500 people who, including almost 300 former NICU "graduates."

Nurse manager Stephanie Stewart, RN said seeing once seriously ill children leading cheerful lives is what makes the event special.

"It is very rewarding to see the kids looking healthy and toddling around," she said. "These are virtually normal toddlers and preschoolers who were sick as infants. It makes you feel good to see them living healthy lives."

This year, special attractions for parents and children included carnival games, such as a bean bag toss and a fishing pond where children won prizes, a "Quiet Room" for reading stories, family pictures, and a "Wall of Fame" where photos of past NICU graduates were posted. Cake and snacks were served.

A team of parents called "The Parent Connection" took on the large task of coordinating the reunion. One parent, Kay Viner, had twin sons, Nickalaus and Thomas, who were born at 28 weeks gestation in December 1996. The boys spent nearly three months in the NICU. They were soon discharged, but readmitted three months later to the pediatrics unit with RSV, a respiratory virus. The experience meant daily emotional ups and downs for Viner and her husband Andy.

"During that time," Viner said, "The Parent Connection provided things such as Pizza Nights, baby showers, monthly bedside gifts and most importantly other parents to talk to who had been through similar experiences."

Viner joined the organization six months later, once her sons became healthier. She is currently coordinating the Welcome Bag project, which provides gift bags for parents of babies in the NICU containing, among other things, a sports drink bottle, a beanie baby, and a lullaby tape.

"I think the Parent Connection is a very important group that has benefited all of the parents in the nurseries in one way or another," Viner said.

Stewart agrees. "Preparing for this reunion involves several months of work. The parent connection leaders are very involved in that," she said.

Seeing all the parents of former NICU patients living without the stress of caring for an ill infant adds importance to the reunion, Stewart explained.

"We see some pretty drastic changes in kids sometimes," she said. "But parents change too. They are usually stressed out in the NICU. It’s good to see them at the reunion being happy parents."

That was certainly the case for Viner. After Nickalaus remained on oxygen for six months and Thomas suffered a brain bleed that caused very minor motor damage, the boys are both healthy now and set to enter kindergarten this fall.

"We thank God every day for the staff at UI Hospitals and Clinics," said Viner. "Without their care, we would not have the beautiful, healthy children that we have now."