Parkridge East Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit celebrates its 30th anniversary with a reunion of its “miracle children” on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Lindsay Street Hall in downtown Chattanooga.
Former NICU patients and families whose lives were touched by Parkridge East’s NICU staff are invited to attend for lunch with guest speaker and bestselling author, Kayla Aimee. Ms. Aimee will speak about her experiences with her daughter, Scarlette, who was a NICU baby, and sign copies of her recently released book, Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected, at the event.
Ms. Aimee is an influential faith and family blogger, whose work has been featured on national media outlets, including The TODAY Show and The Huffington Post. After giving birth at only 24 weeks of pregnancy, Ms. Aimee documented her unique, stressful, and hopeful situation as the mother of a “micro-preemie” on her blog, www.kaylaaimee.com. Her story was read by so many parents in similar circumstances, that Ms. Aimee was inspired to write a book about it as well.
“In just 10 years, from 2005 to 2014, the Parkridge East Hospital NICU helped 2,422 babies in the Chattanooga area, so we’re planning on a big turnout,” said Teresa Walker, Women’s Services director for Parkridge East’s NICU. “The NICU staff is excited to see how these extraordinary children are doing now.”
“Some of our NICU ‘graduates’ are now having children of their own, which should make this year’s reunion especially meaningful,” Jarrett Millsaps, CEO of Parkridge East Hospital. “We are so proud of all of our ‘graduates,’ and look forward to reconnecting with them.”
Parkridge East’s Level III NICU opened in June of 1985 and was one of the first hospitals in the country equipped with computerized bedside charting systems. Today, the unit features 22 specialized beds and provides 24-hour care by board-certified neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners.
For more information and to register for the event, call 622-6848.
For more information about Parkridge Health System’s Neonatal and Women’s Health services, visit ParkridgeEastHospital.com.