Words cannot even express how wonderful the staff was.

Pregnant with twins, Lindsay was admitted to the Women and Infants Pavilion (WIP) in 2019 when her water broke on twin A, Elizabeth. With the help of her care team at the WIP, they were able to stop her labor, and she was placed on bedrest in antepartum. “Our plan was to get married prior to having the babies, but they had other plans,” Lindsay recalls. However, despite their best efforts, Lindsay went into labor and delivered Elizabeth at only 22 weeks and weighing only 1lb 12oz. Heartbreakingly, Elizabeth was not able to overcome the challenges of underdevelopment, and she passed away 10 hours later.

From suffering a loss, to getting married in the hospital, to giving birth to a micro preemie Lindsay, her husband Kyle and their now 5-year-old daughter, Evelynn, visited AVMC’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to reminisce on their gratitude for the exceptional care and kindness they all received.

After the loss of baby Elizabeth, Lindsay’s care team worked tirelessly to delay labor and ensure twin B, Evelynn’s development before her arrival. “They were waiting on her (Evelynn) and she stayed in,” Kyle remembers. Meanwhile, Kyle and Lindsay were determined to marry before Evelynn's birth. When the nurses learned of their plans, they sprang into action, transforming an empty room into a heartfelt space for their wedding ceremony. “They did a very good job decorating,” Kyle boasts “it didn’t look like the hospital.” No longer able to wait to join this world, Evelynn arrived the day after her parents wedding but was immediately admitted to the NICU.

Born prematurely, Evelynn’s journey began with an uphill battle as she fought through a grade four brain bleed and drastic weight loss. But she was a fighter; Dr. Thangavel and the NICU staff were there to help her through it. Evelynn was discharged 69 days later and to her primary doctor’s surprise, she was gaining weight. “She was in complete shock because she (Evelynn) didn’t lose weight after leaving, she gained weight,” Lindsay recalls.

Lindsay and Kyle never forgot the care and compassion they received at the NICU. “I just wanted to tell him (Dr. Thangavel) how grateful I am for everything,” Lindsay emphasized.

With Evelyn having recently turned 5 years old, they stopped by to pay a visit to the NICU staff and Dr. Thangavel, so they could see her progress. “It’s hard to say whether we would have been as good as we were without Dr. T,” Kyle wonders.

Though they experienced many hardships when they welcomed their first baby, they never gave up hope. Now, they have three beautiful girls and are expecting their fourth in the new year. Congratulations Lindsay and Kyle!