As the smell of popcorn bellowed out the tightly packed room families from all over the Ark-La-Tex shared stories and reconnected with the life saving staff at CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health.

On Sunday, July 17, CHISTUS NICU hosted its 37th annual NICU reunion. This year was extra special due to the pandemic which caused a two year delay in-person celebration.

Kelly Matkins, Progam Manager for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at CHRISTUS said, "this is just a very happy day, one that we've been looking forward to for the past two years."

"We love to come back to the NICU reunion to celebrate how far we've come," said Amy Herron, mother of 7-year-old boy who was in CHRISTUS NICU after being born two months early.

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CHRISTUS NICU center is comprised of a Level II, Level III and Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care unit. This center cares for a wide range of babies who are born prematurely, with low birth weights and with multiple medical problems.

The CHISTUS NICU staff was there to hug and reunite with those miracle babies they worked with and nurtured.

"It puts me in tears," said Sara Serio, Neonatologist/Medical Director for CHRISTUS NICU.  "I had a little baby that had a lot of struggles when he was born. He was born very tiny and had every issue possible. And he's tested in the magnet school and he's going to kindergarten. I just can't tell you how happy that makes me. It makes me start crying right now. It's unexplainable."

Dana Baca a registered nurse at CHISTUS NICU snuck away from the NICU to reunite with some families. For over 20-years Baca has been caring for babies in CHRISTUS NICU.

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She said, "we get really attached to these parents. I mean, they become like family."

Aleshia Lewis mother of two-year-old boy who was in the NICU for 66 days said, "the NICU nurses were there every step of the moment."

CHRISTUS NICU center offers the highest level of specialized care for premature and critically ill infants. Offering services such as Neonatal Transport and NicView.

NicView is a small camera system which is placed in bed spaces in the NICU and allows for parents, family and friends to view their infant in real-time on an online portal. This state of the art technology was purchased through Children's Miracle Network Hospital.

"When you see that hot air balloon in the local community, and you give to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals that money is coming directly back to our hospital to help patients like these little ones," said Matkins.

"I just thank all of the staff members who came out and thank all the families who came out because it truly is a reunion when our CHRISTUS NICU family gets together," said Heron.

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: NICU babies reunite with caregivers at CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health