It is one of the hardest yet one of the most supported and loved journeys we have been through. AMANDA BASS MOTHER OF NICU GRADUATE Now under the leadership of Medical Director Ajay Tatati, MD, it has treated over 45,000 premature and critically-ill babies using the revolutionary interdisciplinary approach Dr. Korones spearheaded 50 years ago when neonatology was still a fledgling medical specialty. Expert doctors and nurses are joined by specially trained social workers to provide medical care and help families cope with challenges of caring for a premature or critically-ill infant. For the Bass family, the anniversary was a chance to celebrate 18-monthold Owen with the men and women who saved his life. “We thanked them and we hugged them and told them how much we appreciated their love and care for our child when we couldn’t do it,” Amanda said. Amanda was hospitalized at Regional One Health during her entire high-risk pregnancy and was in intensive care after giving birth, and she knows it was harrowing for her husband. But doctors and nurses walked at his side every step of the way: “It is one of the hardest yet one of the most supported and loved journeys we have been through,” she said. Angela Sims marked the 50th while watching Nori Grace have a butterfly painted on her face. Angela Sims was terrified the first time she saw her daughter connected to tubes and machines in the NICU – but the support she received helped her get past her fears and help Nori Grace thrive. 22 Regional One Health Foundation Angela admitted she at first had a hard time visiting Nori Grace in the NICU. She was terrified by her daughter’s tiny size and all the machines she was connected to. But that fear eased its grip, nudged aside by support from doctors and nurses. “You all took away the nervousness that I had,” Angela said. “You made me feel so supported during that difficult time in my life.”
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