See Novant Health’s Adorable “Boo In The NICU”
September 27, 2001, was a day of firsts for me. The biggest, happiest, and most important? That was the day I became a dad. The most sobering? That was the day I learned the acronym NICU. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For lack of a more complex definition, that where babies who are born early or sick go. Our son, Hogan, was born 2 months early and weighed in at a whopping 2 pounds 4 ounces. Our son’s life has been documented here and on air constantly over the last 21 years. Okay, here’s another. On the left, not long before that first Halloween in the NICU. On the right, getting ready to go out for Halloween fun at Coastal Carolina University this weekend. Oh, and yes…that’s a wig.
Yes, we’ve been beyond lucky and blessed. And we’ve always acknowledged that an enormous reason for our fortune when it comes to our boy must be attributed to the doctors and nurses of the NICU. Hogan was in there from birth until Veteran’s Day in late November. Spend just 5 minutes around those people and you will realize you are in the presence of God’s angels here on Earth. Without their calm, their caring, their unconditional love, their nurturing (of us and our son), not to mention their skills, there is no way we (or he) could have survived. One of the things I remember most about our experience in the NICU was how the nurses there strived to make life there as normal as possible. It really helped. Apparently, that philosophy is still alive and well in the NICUs of today. The babies in the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center NICU got to dress up for their very first Halloween.
“Boo in the NICU” was obviously a huge hit! How cute are these kids?! And who provided these costumes? Yup, those angels on Earth again. On Novant’s social media was the following statement, “A special thanks to our wonderful NICU nurses and staff for providing these costumes!” May God continue to bless these kids, their families, and those charged with the care of them all.
