Three nurses in England, who 38 years ago helped save a premature baby’s life through intensive care, had a special visitor who came to say “thank you”: the patient they saved, who is now a police officer and a father of two.
Zak Stevens was born at Peterborough District Hospital in England at only 27 weeks and 3 days gestation, according to North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital. Nearly four decades later, Stevens returned to what is now Peterborough City Hospital with his parents, Lian and Mark, to spend time with some of the nurses who helped him survive.
They were able to meet with Sharon Holmshaw, Georgina Mason, and Margaret Lewis, according to a July 29 BBC article.
“We wanted to share our heartfelt thanks to all the incredible nurses,” Lian said, according to the BBC. “It was so special to see them again. We are forever grateful for the care, compassion, and dedication they gave us. It means the world to us as a family and will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
The family shared a scrapbook of photos with the nurses, and Lian read a poem she had composed soon after her son was born.
According to the trust’s article, the poem included the following lines:
“’12 weeks too early’, came a voice from above
I picked the wrong month — is that why?
And the fuss that I caused, and the look of concern
Please help me, I don’t want to die.”
Since the year Stevens was born, medical advances have made stories like his more common. A study found that children born at 22 or 23 weeks from 1981-1985 had no chance of survival, but by 1996-2000, they had a 54% chance, according to Right to Life News.
“It was an honour to be able to share such precious memories and milestones,” said Katie Barke, Neonatal Intensive Care Ward Manager, according to the NHS. “There was a real sense that Zak’s journey had come full circle, and it was wonderful to see how well he has thrived after a premature start to life.”
The Stevens family gave the NICU £550 (approximately $750), which they had raised to help improve the facilities for the parents of infants undergoing treatment.
>> As abortions increase in the UK, Catholic bishop urges ‘re-establishing a culture of life’ <<
The post Premature birth survivor, family returns to visit life-saving nurses appeared first on CatholicVote org.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Felix Miller
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://catholicvote.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
