AFTER PARENTS ABANDONED PREEMIE BABY FOR 5 MONTHS, A NURSE STEPPED IN, IN A BIG WAY
So her name is Giselle. But baby Giselle was born at the terribly young preemie age of 29 weeks. So her birth weight was just one pound, 14 ounces. Her mother was a drug addict, making things really complicated. So Giselle had to stay in the NICU for several months. Then she transferred to Boston’s Franciscan Children’s Hospital where she could receive acute rehab. But after the transfer, Giselle’s parents stopped visiting her. After 5 months of no visitors, one nurse stepped in to fill the void. This is the kind of story that helps build communities.
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PREEMIE GISELLE WAS HEADED TO THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, BUT HER NURSES HAD ANOTHER IDEA
But those must have been 5 very sad months for Giselle and those who did see her every day. Her caregivers were the only people Giselle had in her life those 5 long months. Authorities and the system had Giselle slated towards foster care when her rehab care was to be complete. But several nurses who saw her every day thought Giselle deserved a shot at a real, permanent family life. So that’s why they approached Liz Smith, a 40-year-old senior nursing director. But their idea? Giselle needed a medical foster home and they thought Liz would be the perfect match.
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THE ADOPTION IS NOW A REALITY, AND THE FORMER PREEMIE GISELLE NOW HAS A HOME AND MOM OF HER OWN
Liz wanted a child of her own. But she wasn’t able to conceive on her own. Despite working in health care, her insurance wouldn’t cover in vitro fertilization. So Liz went to meet Giselle. As she recalls, “Literally, Gisele crossed my path in a stroller and we locked eyes and that was it.” So then Liz came to see Giselle for a visit every day after she got off work and they got familiar with each other. That familiarity became love and Liz had to make sure she never lost Giselle. So in October of 2018, her adoption of Giselle became reality. Liz is now 45 and Giselle, a precocious 2.
Sometimes, we really do find family when we least expect it.
