NICU Nurse Realizes Her New Colleague Is The Premature Baby She Cared For 28 Years Ago

Sep 05, 2018 by apost team

54-year-old Vilma Wong is a dedicated nurse with a track record of providing excellent care for her patients. She has spent 23 years serving in the neonatal intensive care unit at Palo Alto's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Imagine her surprise when she found out that a new colleague was one of her former patients!  

Brandon Seminatore was a new doctor assigned to Wong's block. She thought his name sounded familiar but couldn't remember where she had heard it before. Almost 30 years earlier she had been one of the nurses who cared for him after he was born at 29 weeks and spent time in the NICU. 

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Brandon mentioned to his colleague that he had been born at the hospital. This detail piqued Vilma's interest. She suddenly remembered why she had recognized his name. She decided to investigate her suspicion that Seminatore was her former NICU patient.

"I asked him if his dad was a police officer and there was a big silence and he asked if I was Vilma," she said. When she responded to the question with a yes, he knew she had been his nurse.

His mom had told him to look for a NICU nurse named Vilma, though he assumed that she had likely already retired. 

It's possible that learning about his time in the neonatal intensive care unit had helped to direct Seminatore's path toward the medical field. He's currently a child neurology specialist. 

"I was in shock initially but overjoyed to know that I took care of him almost 30 years ago and now, he's a pediatric resident to the same population he was part of when he was born," Vilma told interviewers. 

Brandon was also amazed at the seeming coincidence. He never thought he would have the privilege of working with a nurse who had helped to care for him during his first few weeks of life. After learning of the connection Brandon recalled a picture his mom and dad had shown him of Vilma holding him as a tiny baby. 

In the heartwarming photo, a smiling Vilma is tenderly holding the precious bundle of joy on her lap while rocking him in a rocker at the hospital. His parents messaged him the picture when he texted to tell them about his meeting with Vilma. 

Brandon is grateful to have the opportunity to care for babies with his former NICU nurse. He's also thankful that she was able to see him healthy and all grown up. 

What are your thoughts about this heartwarming story? Are you as glad as we are that these two people who have dedicated their lives to helping others are getting the chance to work together after all these years? We'd love to know your thoughts! Pass this story along to your friends and family to let them know about this special moment!