Three families to host 'Celebration of Life' dinner for doctors, nurses

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Three Families to Host 'Celebration of Life' Appreciation Dinner for St. Alexius Medical Center Level 3 NICU Doctors and Nurses Who Saved Their Babies Lives

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – September 25, 2013 – An invitation-only 'Celebration of Life' appreciation dinner will be held on Sunday, October 6, 2013 by three area families for the St. Alexius Medical Center NICU doctors and nurses who played major roles in saving the lives of their severely premature babies born at the hospital last year and earlier this year.

“We feel so grateful to all the NICU doctors and nurses who saved our daughter Vivian's life last year when she was born on October 8 at a mere 1lb 4oz.. She spent four roller coaster months at the level three NICU facility, and received such great care from the doctors and nurses. She beat all the odds. We felt the need to show our appreciation for their professionalism and humanity. Our baby avoided contracting any infections during her premature months at the hospital and she had access to various new innovative preemie advancements, including a new Prolacta fortifier that was added my breast milk to help her effectively grow from her severely small birth weight without serious complications. She was the first baby to receive the new human milk-based fortifier at the hospital when it became available at the NICU in October 2012,” said Linda Prestia, the mother of a micro preemie born at the hospital last fall.

Baby Vivian was switched to the newly available Prolacta human-milk based fortifier when she showed difficulty tolerating the standard bovine-based milk fortifier customarily used at NICU hospitals and added to a mother's pumped breast milk to increase calories, calcium and phosphorus levels in a feeding for bone growth.

“The doctors at the hospital conduct research all the time on new premature innovative options and techniques for dealing with premature infants. We felt grateful to learn how they were able to introduce this fortifier to our NICU. They recognized the value in offering a more expensive, yet highly effective fortifier that has been linked to reducing the rate of life threatening GI infections like NEC that often plague severely premature babies. It showed us that these doctors care and are on the ball with furthering the care of preemies as new technologies surface,” said Mrs. Prestia.

Although the Prestia family was prepared to have a premature baby last year after they learned of various complications that put their baby at risk if she remained in-utero full term, they felt relieved to learn they could deliver at a high level NICU so close to their Carpentersville home instead of driving further out to the city.

“My husband Frank and I were so relieved to learn that St. Alexius had NICU facilities and staff that would be prepared for the severely early arrival of my baby girl last year. Being close driving distance to the hospital eliminated many stressors that would have already added to my list of worries that often comes with having a micro preemie. I was happy to be just a 20 minute drive away from my baby. I drove to see her everyday, sometimes twice per day, for four grueling months. She was released from the hospital in February 2013, after four long months,” said Mrs. Prestia.

St. Alexius was designated a Level III facility for perinatal services by the Illinois Department of Public Health a few years ago. The designation allowed the hospital to participate in the Illinois Perinatal Network, a comprehensive statewide system designed to coordinate existing healthcare resources to improve the health outcomes of women and infants in Illinois. The hospital delivers more than 3,200 babies per year. A level III stats means the hospital is able to provide comprehensive care for women experiencing complicated, high-risk pregnancies and advanced care for newborns with special care needs. The NICU Level III designation allows the hospital to provide care for the most critically ill newborns, a factor that is a requirement in order to become and remain a Level III perinatal facility.

While the Prestia family's stay at the hospital occurred before the new six-story addition opened on the southeast corner of St. Alexius Medical Center, the family believes the high level doctors and nurses that cared for infant patients at the former NICU facility in the old building at the hospital did an amazing job providing stellar care for their baby despite space limitations at the time. The new facility opened in April 2013.

“The new facility looks amazing. We would have certainly appreciated the space and privacy during the hard early days of our ordeal while we were at the hospital with our baby. But being in the former NICU quarters, we also were able to meet other families like us going through the same traumatic experience that we did because we shared a room, including the Flores Family,” said Mrs. Prestia.

“We are so grateful that we had this wonderful team of doctors and nurses taking such great care of our tiny babies when we couldn't. It is clearly evident that this is much more than a job to them. They have touched our lives in a very special way," said Miriam Flores, whose preemie twins were in separate incubators next to Vivian for a few months.

After their the Prestias' baby daughter Vivian was transferred to Intermediate care next to the NICU facility as her premature condition stabilized, she also shared a room with several other families of premature infants, including Amy Wilk with Tom Nelson and their pre-term baby Olivia.

“Although some days it was hard to share a room, we often found it comforting to network with other families going to similar ordeals. We were so happy to meet the Flores family and their baby twins Olivia and Bianca, as well as Amy Wilk and Tom Nelson, the parents of baby Olivia. We soon realized we were not alone in our experiences,” said Mrs. Prestia.

All three families will once again reunite for the event with their surviving babies to show their appreciation in person for the NICU doctors and nurses who saved their lives and comforted their families during their long extended stays.

“We just feel forever grateful for the gift of life they gave us, despite the significant odds. The way they cared for our families made all the difference in the end,” said Mrs. Prestia.

Amy Wilk and Tom Nelson reside in Elk Grove Village with their baby daughter Olivia, who was born at the hospital two months early on January 7, 2013 at 3lbs. 6oz. Olivia's identical twin Hannah passed away at the hospital the same day.

Antonio and Miriam Flores reside in Elgin with their baby daughter Bianca, who was born three months premature at 1 lb. 6 oz., and their two year old son Aiden. Bianca's identical twin Olivia passed away two months after birth.

Frank and Linda Prestia reside in Carpentersville with their baby daughter Vivian, born three months premature, and their 5 year old son Torey.

The three families will jointly host their appreciation dinner for the doctors and nurses of St. Alexius Medical Center's NICU at the Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday October 6, 2013.

A video montage displaying the progress of the babies during their stay at the hospital and after discharge also will be shared at the event.