"Micro-premies" born 40 years ago reunite with medical team that delivered them in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO — It was a birthday party to celebrate survival 40 years in the making.
Delcia Bosch and her husband were so grateful to be face-to-face with the men who helped them add to their family.
"We were happy to have a baby breathe a breath of life," Delcia said.
Delcia was anxious after six pregnancies.
"My son was born six weeks early — he was OK," she said. "I had a five-month pregnancy, three-month pregnancy and another six-month pregnancy."
Their daughter, Jilyn, was born 1 pound, 6.5 ounces 40 years ago. It was a tense and turbulent time turned triumphant.
"It's really neat to be able to be here and connect with our care team," Jilyn said.
The odds of survival for these so-called "micro-premies" was one-in-ten.
Jilyn, along with her own husband and two children, met with another NICU graduate, Loriellen Byron, who was born around the same time, and part of the team of doctors who made it all happen.
"I think it's fantastic that they were born within a month of each other, the same size and they both survived against all these odds," Dr. Wertz added. "To see them as adults and to see them as mothers is entirely different."
It's a story of not just surviving but thriving.
"You can still live a fulfilled life and have a great life even though you're premature," said.
As Delcia reminisced, the reality of what really happened in that groundbreaking perinatal center set in.
"We had been praying we'd be in the right place at the right time and doctors would have good ideas come to them," she said. "We didn't realize at the time they were pioneering this. We just thought that's what happened, you know?"