Dozens of former neonatal intensive care unit patients and their families filled Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City on Sunday, reconnecting with the nurses who cared for them as newborns. Among them was 18-year-old Katie Lammers-Meis, who was born at 25 weeks gestational age and spent 93 days in the NICU before growing into a college student now planning to become a respiratory therapist.
The gathering, covered by KMBC, brought together families and staff at the hospital, where clinical resource nurse Mindy Smith said the reunion is one of her favorite days of the year. According to the station's report, the event gives nurses a rare chance to reconnect with the babies and families they supported through some of the most fragile days of their lives.
Also in attendance were twins Payton and Annika Dickkut, now 23, who were born at 25.5 weeks. Their mother, Jennifer Reents-Dickkut, said the NICU nurses were filled with hope and helped the family through every high and low, per the same account. The twins had a message for families currently navigating their own NICU stay: don't give up, and keep persevering.
A Unit Built for the Most Fragile Newborns
The reunions are possible because of the hospital's capacity to treat the tiniest and sickest patients. Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City operates a 67-bed Level III NICU and delivers more than 2,000 babies each year, according to Neonatology Solutions. Under American Academy of Pediatrics standards, Level III units like this one are equipped to provide critical care for infants born at 22 weeks gestational age or greater, as well as babies with severe illnesses at any gestational age, as explained by Saint Luke's Health System.
That level of specialized care has drawn national attention before. In November 2019, the hospital's NICU staff cared for 12 sets of newborn twins simultaneously, all born five to 14 weeks prematurely, setting a record in the facility's 135-year delivery history, according to KSDK. Sunday's gathering continued an annual tradition that has previously drawn nearly 100 former NICU graduates and their families, per Saint Luke's Health System.
Missouri's Broader Preterm Birth Challenge
The reunion also lands against a backdrop of statewide struggles with prematurity. Missouri recorded 7,441 premature births in 2024, an 11.0% preterm birth rate that ranks the state 37th out of 52 U.S. states and territories, according to the March of Dimes. That figure remains higher than the national preterm birth rate of 10.4%, a national average that itself earned a D+ grade from the March of Dimes, per the National Governors Association.
Missouri's Broader Preterm Birth Challenge The reunion also lands against a backdrop of statewide struggles with prematurity. Missouri recorded 7,441 premature births in 2024, an 11.0% preterm birth rate that ranks the state 37th out of 52 U.S. states and territories, according to the March of Dimes. That figure remains higher than the national preterm birth rate of 10.4%, a national average that itself earned a D+ grade from the March of Dimes, per the National Governors Association. Access to care compounds the challenge in many parts of the state, with rural access barriers contributing to the difficulty. Missouri's preterm birth data provide additional context.
The reunion also highlights the importance of nursing care at Saint Luke's. For families like the Dickkuts and Lammers-Meis, it offered a chance to reconnect with the nurses who cared for them.
