NICU Families Reunite in Bend With St. Charles Staff as Parents Celebrate Children’s Progress After Months of Intensive Newborn Care

BEND, OR — Families whose babies were treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Charles Bend came together Saturday for a reunion centered on recovery, gratitude and shared experience.

The event brought parents, children, nurses, doctors and hospital staff into one place to recognize how far the young patients have come and to reconnect with the people who cared for them.

Parents say the reunion offered a rare sense of understanding

For families, the gathering created a chance to speak with others who know what it is like to have a baby in intensive care. Matt Skarzynski said that being around other parents who understood the experience made the day meaningful.

He and Angel Speranza said their daughter, Angie, was born at 27 weeks and two days and weighed 1 pound, 9 ounces. Speranza recalled the fear of not knowing whether Angie had survived after delivery.

Angie spent nearly four months in the NICU before going home

Skarzynski said the family received steady support throughout Angie’s stay, which lasted almost four months. He described the unit as a community of people who cared deeply about his daughter’s progress and helped guide the family through the start of parenthood.

NICU nurse Heather Bristol said the work can be humbling because babies often arrive fragile and small, yet still represent hope and new life. Dr. Patrick Lewallen, the NICU medical director, said seeing former patients running and playing later is the best possible outcome.

Children enjoyed games and medical displays filled the room

The reunion included a bounce house, face painting and balloon artists for the children. Families also looked at incubators and other equipment used in the NICU, giving them a closer look at the tools tied to their children’s earliest days.

Alongside the celebration, a table was set up to remember babies who did not survive. Speranza said the local NICU is an important resource for families in the region and praised the experience of the team that works there.

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