Just 2 years old, Easton Strait doesn’t remember the first five months of his life – 160 days to be exact – in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at WellSpan York Hospital. But his parents, Krista and Zachary, vividly do.

They remember how they wondered how their son, who weighed less than 2 pounds at birth, was going to make it. They wondered how they were going to make it. The Straits credit the NICU team for caring for both their son and for them during those scary months of beeping monitors, oxygen therapy, medications and days when all they could do was hope.

Now a thriving toddler who loves chickens and tractors, Easton will join his parents later this month at a WellSpan York Hospital NICU reunion to be held at Leg Up Farm in Mount Wolf, in York County. The Fulton County family is eagerly looking forward to seeing the NICU team – and some of the other families who had babies in the NICU at the same time – at the gathering, which will feature family activities and refreshments.

“We became very close with a lot of the people there,” Krista says. “We still keep in contact with everybody because you become close with the people who take care of your child. They become family. It brought us comfort walking into the NICU and leaving our son there, knowing the people who were there love him as much as we do. He was in great hands.”

From left, Easton as a newborn in the NICU, as a 1-year-old, and with his parents, Krista and Zachary. 

Established in 1985 by now retired physician Dr. Jonathan Liss, the NICU has cared for more than 10,000 babies in its 40 years at WellSpan York Hospital. The 44-bed unit Level III unit provides comprehensive, critical care for babies born before 35 weeks gestation or with specific medical conditions requiring specialized pediatric care, offering advanced respiratory support, specialized procedures and access to pediatric subspecialists.

In addition to its high-tech care, the unit offers compassionate support for parents, who can and do visit their babies around-the-clock. A parent support group meets regularly. A team of volunteers also cuddles babies when their parents cannot be with them. Special music and books also are offered to enrich babies’ growing minds.

The first NICU reunion was held in 1986, and families and NICU team members have gathered regularly since then to reconnect and marvel at how the NICU “graduates” have grown in the intervening years. The gatherings regularly attract several hundred people who share memories and hugs.

“I plan my summer vacations around the reunion because I would not want to miss it,” says longtime NICU neonatologist Dr. Michael Goodstein. “I love to see the families with their healthy children. It is a fun, joyful day.”

The Straits still can quote the wisdom of Dr. Goodstein and the nurses who cared for Easton. They told the couple that the NICU is a rollercoaster that goes up and down and sometimes even backward. They advised them not to Google anything. They told them that when monitors go off, it usually does not signal something is dire. They also said there is a light at the end of their tunnel, even though they might not always see it.

“They said, ‘You are here to sit with your child. Just be with them and let us do the rest,’” Krista says. “My husband and I refer to the NICU as a baby greenhouse. Our son needed to be there to grow outside of the womb. We had a saying we would tell each other when we got worried: he’s going to be OK. And he is! He is doing phenomenal. He is your typical little boy toddler. We are so grateful.”

Learn more about our compassionate, leading-edge neonatal care here.