ROCKVILLE CENTRE — As LaTashia Miller and David Taylor walked through the lobby of Mercy Hospital on Sept. 17 carrying their daughter, Trinity Alexandria Rose Taylor, they were met with a round of applause from the hospital staff — marking the end of a long, uncertain, and emotional journey.
Trinity was born on April 24 at just 26 weeks of gestation, more than three months ahead of her July 31 due date, at just 1 lb. 14 oz.. But after 146 days in the hospital, a record length for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the hospital announced she was “heading home at a healthy 11 lbs., 8.5 oz.”
“When she was born, we weren’t sure she was going to make it past the first two weeks, and she did,” Miller said. “And now here we are, 146 days later, and we’re going home.”
Taylor described feeling many emotions during the birth, especially anxiety and fear.
“She came out as red as a tomato, literally like [the color of] ketchup,” he joked, while acknowledging he “was scared” because of her tiny size.
“But I was [also] happy,” he explained, “especially with how she came out, in the amniotic sack, bursting it on her own. It gave me faith, and it let me know that God is with her.”
While leaving the hospital, which is part of Catholic Health and under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, he once again credited God.
“Besides the help of the doctors and the nurses, this is beyond any human capacity to do on their own,” Taylor said. “God is in control, so I definitely believe that God brought her through this, first and foremost.”
Dr. Swarna Devarajan, chair of Pediatrics and director of the Neonatology at Mercy Hospital, said Trinity’s case was one of the most challenging in her 26 years there.
She acknowledged that every Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) case is emotional and special. Still, she said Trinity’s stood out because of the 146 days “filled with care, love, commitment, and many challenges.”
“She had some lung problems, and she had some heart problems, but today she is going home healthy,” Devarajan said. “We’re going to miss her. She’s part of our family, but I think she needs to go to her mommy, daddy, and grandma.”
Trinity’s farewell celebration in the hospital lobby featured the hospital staff singing her favorite Disney song — “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King — which played daily at her bedside. The song, meaning “no worries,” became more than a lullaby. It was “her personal anthem of resilience,” according to a press release from Mercy Hospital.
RELATED: Twice Blessed, Same Nurse For Dad and Son
Following a prayer led by Deacon Michael Boldizar, the hospital’s chaplain, Miller shared a few words of gratitude to the hospital staff in the room, reflecting on the emotional “rollercoaster” that was Trinity’s birth and NICU journey.
“I’m forever grateful to [Neonatologist Dr. Jordana Cele Hannam], Dr. [Devarajan], all the doctors in the NICU, and the nurses — there’s literally no words that can ever explain the love that I have for the nurses,” Miller said. “We came in as strangers, and I now consider every last one of them my family.”
As a Christian, Miller said she knew she wanted her baby’s name to be inspired by faith. “Her name is Trinity [because] we were thinking something biblical … We were thinking Father, Son, Holy Spirit, because she is a blessed baby,” Miller said. “She is a miracle baby, a blessed baby, and we’re forever grateful for her.”
Sara Rabinowitz, a registered nurse who helped Miller deliver Trinity, said she visited Trinity every shift she worked, witnessing the ups and downs, and enjoying watching her grow.
“It’s just such a happy occasion that we’re seeing her after all these months of being here, how big she’s gotten, and it’s just watching a miracle right before your eyes,” Rabinowitz said. “She’s our family for life now. I can’t wait to continue watching her grow.”