Recently, Doctors Medical Center invited families whose lives were touched by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to submit an essay on what our NICU and/or Neonatal Transport Team has meant to them. We extend a heartfelt congratulation to the Yussman and Oliveira Families, who were the winners of the contest. In honor of the Yussman and Oliveira Families, Doctors Medical Center has donated $500 to the March of Dimes in their names.

Read some of the NICU Essay Contest entries below!

Paige, Levi and Spencer Yussman – Winning Entry
Submitted by Amanda Yussman

On Sept. 19, 2007, my triplets were born at Doctors Medical Center at 29 weeks gestation. I was truly blessed to have such a fantastic, supportive NICU staff during one of the most tumultuous times of my life.

On the morning of Oct. 8, I was told that Spencer, our tiniest at just 2 lbs., was sick with an NEC infection. I was distraught but had every confidence in his team. The remainder of that day was one that will forever be ingrained in my mind. I sat in the NICU watching him get sicker by the minute. The one comfort I could find during those heartbreaking moments was that I saw genuine love and compassion in the eyes of every staff member. I knew that they weren’t simply doing their jobs; it http://www.software995.com/was personal. Not only were they supportive of me, keeping me informed and making sure I understood what was happening, they went above and beyond their job descriptions to help my baby.

Ultimately, Spencer was medi-flighted to Stanford, but was too sick and didn’t survive the day. In the midst of the most devastating event of my life, my only solace is that I’ve never once had to question whether more could have been done to save him. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the staff did everything they could and more to save my baby, as if he were their own child.

And the next day, walking back in the NICU to see my survivors, I was greeted literally by teary-eyed nurses and doctors with outstretched arms, ready to comfort me and share in my grief. The whole NICU grieved with me and felt the pain of my loss, and for that phenomenal show of support I will be eternally grateful.

Mason and Jackson Oliveira – Winning Entry
Submitted by Chris and Heather Oliveira

Two years ago we received the unbelievable and unexpected news that we were expecting natural-occurring twins. Through a closely-monitored pregnancy, we were prepared for the fact that our babies may not come home with us immediately. And although our heads heard the doctor’s warning, our hearts were not prepared for the three weeks we would have to leave our babies in the NICU.

The boys, weighing 5.7 each, suffered from premature lung disease and infections. After delivery at Memorial, they were transferred by ambulance to the DMC NICU. Our hearts broke and we watched helplessly as our tiny twin boys were loaded into special incubators filled with wires, monitors, and machines and were driven away. We spent the next three weeks in vigil as amazing doctors and nurses aided our boys in growing, breathing, and preparing to leave their tiny incubator “homes” in hopes of being released to ours. Through tense moments of worry, the staff at DMC gave us continued hope. They tirelessly explained the machines and procedures to us, allowed us special moments with our little boys whenever possible, and rejoiced with us at their tiny milestones. After three long weeks of hospitals, our boys came home to us Easter weekend.

We cannot speak highly enough of the staff at DMC ICU and the DMC transfer team. So many angels fought and championed for our children’s lives while all we could do was watch and pray.

As we just celebrated their second birthday, we were reminded of their birth: such a sweet and tense, joyful and tiring, magical and worrisome time. As they run, jump, talk, and laugh today, those memories seem a little more distant and now we are filled with the joy of two happy and healthy boys, our Mason and Jackson Oliveira.

God bless you and your work.

Thank you is not enough,
Chris and Heather Oliveira

Michael Cordrey
Submitted by Mark and Beth Cordrey


A normal pregnancy ended at 29 weeks. Premature labor began due to a Corio-angioma Cist. After careful monitoring, the doctors made the decision to perform emergency surgery. In 11 minutes, Michael was born. Beth heard one small cry as our tiny boy was passed to the skilled staff at NICU. On Oct. 5, 1992, Michael Ryan Cordrey came into this world, being 10 ½ weeks too early and weighing 3 lbs., 15 oz. From the beginning, the staff eased our every fear. Phone calls in the middle of the night from the nurses assured us that all was well.

Our attending physician, primary nurse and many others cared for Michael’s every need. The complex array of equipment monitoring Michael comforted our anxious thoughts.

With possible heart complications, Michael was air-lifted to UCSF. The possibility of complications brought us to a new threshold of worry. The staff’s skill and confidence kept the family hopeful.

The nurses and doctor were pleased with Michael’s progress. Their expert care was remarkable, and Michael was able to have his mother’s milk. We, as new parents, were taught how to care for him in regards to bathing, dressing and feeding, while dealing with all the cords and equipment that had to come home with Michael. The staff and physicians at the NICU were our rock in the midst of a stormy time.

Even with physical complications from premature birth, Michael does amazingly well. Each time we think of his future life, we can’t help but be thankful for all of the staff at Doctors Medical Center, with special emphasis on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, for helping our son have a future.

Paige Cromwell
Submitted by Sarah Cromwell


My precious daughter Paige was born five weeks early weighing in at 4 lbs., 6 oz. and 17” long. Paige had to be delivered by emergency c-section because I was very sick with Severe Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome.

For the next two weeks, Paige made her home in the Doctors Medical Center NICU. The first time I was able to see Paige, her nurse (whom we would grow to love) welcomed me and asked if I wanted to do Kangaroo care with Paige. That was such a special and emotional time. Feeling my baby’s bare skin up against my skin was something that’s hard to put into words. It was a time I will remember for the rest of my life. The nurse was extremely helpful in my successful breastfeeding relationship with Paige. She spent lots of time showing me how to nurse a preemie (it looked so easy in books but it was HARD!) Because of all of her time and effort I nursed Paige for over 14 months!

The saddest day in my life was when I had to leave the hospital without Paige. She was not ready to come home with me but I knew I could call down to the NICU any time (day or night) and they would give me updates like how she slept, ate, and her overall condition. I would call every few hours and the nurses were so helpful with all my questions. I would spend most of the day with Paige in the NICU and grew to love the staff. Everyone was helpful, professional and kind. I felt great peace knowing how much my daughter was cared for and loved.

Thank you DMC staff for everything, especially our two special nurses! You know we love you!!

Frank and Morgan
Submitted by Joan B. Dias


July 19, 2001 was like any other summer morning, until I got the call that the twins had been born. My brother Joe and his wife Patti were expecting a boy and a girl, but not until mid-August. This was too early I thought, but hoped that they would be fine. As I drove to the hospital where they were born, I prayed for two healthy babies.

Morgan, the girl, was perfect and one of the most beautiful babies I had ever seen, with peach cream skin and eyelashes that practically touched her cheeks. To add to my excitement, she would be my goddaughter, quite a thrill for the mother of three boys. Frank was a different story as we watched him through the nursery window. He struggled to breathe, we could see, as his chest heaved in and out. My brother was in tears, and Patti didn’t know, just having a cesarean-section. It was finally decided to transport Frank to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Doctors Hospital.

There, he was hooked up to everything imaginable, tubes everywhere and his tiny eyes patched. It was a terrible sight as our family had always been blessed with healthy, robust babies. This was foreign to us and almost unbearable. His doctors said his lungs were underdeveloped, which was not uncommon for a premature baby.

Little Morgan went home without her brother Frank. It would be another two weeks before his lungs healed and he was deemed healthy enough to come home. I knew then that my prayers were answered.

My goddaughter Morgan will always be the apple of my eye, but Frank holds a special place in my heart. He seems to have an understanding, beyond his six years, of love, kindness and family, which only an experience like his can bestow.

Matt Kidroske
Submitted by Pam Kidroske

My story with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Doctors Medical Center begins almost 18 years ago. My son was born in August 1990, via Cesarean section at another hospital; he seemed fine and healthy. However, the next day something was seriously wrong with his lungs, and the doctor and his “SWAT” team appeared at my bedside, then whisked the baby away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which was then at yet another hospital. The next few days seemed to last forever, until I was recovered from the C-section and could be discharged, to go see the baby. During that time, my husband spent a lot of his time at the hospital with the baby. Staff at the NICU kept me supplied with Polaroid pictures of my husband with the baby, and just the baby wrapped in his blanket with various tubes and wires coming from the blanket. My husband seemed to know everything there was about the various wires and machines connected with the baby, after long hours in the NICU with the baby and talking with the various nurses and doctors.

I was so happy to be discharged and at least see the baby, although discouraged with the ups and downs of his condition. Then hospital staff let us know that all the babies, our son included, would be moved to the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Doctors Medical Center by ambulance. The move was thoroughly explained to us, and we were assured that our son would be just fine through the process. There was more to learn about the ins and outs of visiting the unit at Doctors. At that point, I was unable to drive, so most of my days consisted of getting up in the morning, getting ready and having someone drop me off at the hospital NICU, where I would spend most of the day until my husband was off work; leaving with him to get something to eat, then returning for at least a brief visit in the evening. They kept us informed about how he was doing when we weren’t there. There were more pictures for us. The nurses were so patient and understanding. It seemed like they took time to explain everything to me, and I had a lot of questions. The doctor and nurses reassured me that the condition my son had was not life-threatening, and he would recover, although it seemed to me like that could take forever. The nurses worked with me so I was able to pump breast milk for days until our son could be on room air long enough for breast feeding. They encouraged me to keep that up, even though it was difficult; more difficult emotionally than physically. The nurses kept me up on our son’s physical progress, taught me to bathe him once he could be bathed, and watched the scale with me until he had gained enough weight that he could be safely discharged. I don’t think I fully appreciated all they did until our baby was home.

When my son was about six or seven years old, we ran into our doctor at a restaurant. To my surprise he remembered us. He lifted our son’s T-shirt and checked the scar on his chest where there was once a needle puncture and tube to inflate his lung; then explained that since that time “they” had changed the way they do things, and a child with the same condition at that time wouldn’t end up with that scar.

I work at Valley Mountain Regional Center and during my 11+ years here I have met many families whose children were expertly cared for at the NICU, talked with those families, and sometimes read some of the children’s medical records from there. It brings to mind my own memories each time. The days that seemed like forever at the time we were there at the hospital now seem like such a little bit of time, and most of the time I can think about it without crying. I have thought about our early experiences more often recently, as we are approaching a milestone with my son as he graduates from Modesto High School this year, and makes plans to attend college. We are so grateful for the care he received at the NICU and it truly made a difference in our lives.

Anna and Abby Stevens
Submitted by Jennifer Stevens

On March 13, 2001, I delivered identical twin girls at 34 weeks gestation at Doctors Medical Center. They were 4 lbs., 11 oz. and 2 lbs. Four weeks prior I was admitted into the hospital with Preclampsia. I was so impressed by the nursing staff and doctors that kept me comfortable and also kept my husband informed on what was happening. Two of the nurses took such good care of me.

Since the twins were early they had to stay in the NICU for about a month. When I found out that they had to stay, I was very upset. The NICU staff went over everything with me and what I needed to know to come visit and the numbers to call. They took time to understand our situation and how delicate it was. The doctor was very informative and professional on his care of the twins. Especially when I was able to take one twin home and not the other. He always was able to make us laugh when times were hard. I also remember many nights coming in to see the twins and the nurse would make me comfortable and inform me of what had happened since the last visit. The hardest part was leaving my babies in the care of someone else. I felt so confident that they were given the best care possible. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the help that the NICU gave to my family and I. There were so many nurses and doctors that I came into contact with that were so helpful and understanding of our delicate situation.

Our twins just celebrated their 7th birthday and are doing wonderfully! Thank you again to the NICU at Doctors Medical Center. I could have not asked for better care!