Former NICU Patients Reunite with Doctors and Nurses

 

Lexie Laurich when she was hospitalized in the NICU at Rush

Lexie Laurich and her parents from Channahon, Ill., will be among the 700 former patients and family members attending the Rush Children’s Hospital Preemie Picnic on Sunday, September 19.  This year’s event marks the 36th annual celebration where families and patients of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will gather to reunite with their former doctors, nurses and hospital staff for an afternoon filled with games, crafts, photos, live music and prizes.  

Looking at the 8th grade cheerleader and national tumbling champion, you would never guess that Lexie was born prematurely, weighing only 1 pound, 8 ounces.  Critically ill, Lexie had to be hospitalized for four months in Rush’s NICU. 

Fourteen-year-old Lexie Laurich on the Rush campus

Our family looks forward to the annual Rush Preemie Picnic,” said Denise, Lexie’s mom.  “It is a chance for us to show all the doctors and nurses who helped save Lexie’s life how well she is doing.”

“The annual Preemie Picnic at Rush is a celebration of the lives of babies who previously needed intensive, 24-hour comprehensive critical care,” said Debbie Gist, RN, unit director of Women’s and Children’s Nursing at Rush. “These babies, and their families, have overcome major obstacles — it is amazing to see them continue to thrive and progress.”

The Rush Preemie Picnic is held in the second-floor cafeteria of the Armour Academic Center, located on the Rush campus at 600 S. Paulina St., from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Refreshments will be offered, and free parking is available in the Rush parking garage.  

To interview Lexie and her family and to capture footage of the Laurich family as they reunite with their doctors and nurses at the annual Preemie Picnic, please page Deb Song in the media relations department at 312-942-6000, enter PIN 5104.

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