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(Meredith) – A California nurse who cared for a premature baby early in her career found her 28 years later at the same hospital where they met for the first time.
Earlier this month, Vilma Wong was working a day at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital when she met her new colleague, reports Mercury News.
He introduced himself as Brandon Seminatore, a second-year pediatric resident who is training to become a children's neurologist.
"Her name seemed very familiar," Wong told the newspaper, adding that she remembered taking care of a baby of the same name.
When she asked Seminatore if her father was a police officer, their special bond became instantly clear.
"There was a great silence," she said, "then he asked me if I was Vilma."
Seminatore said that he was stunned to learn that Wong was the primary care nurse who helped him stay alive nearly three decades ago.
The young resident weighed only 2 pounds and 6 ounces, the size of a small pineapple, when he was born in 1990.
"Meeting Vilma was a surreal experience," Brandon said in a hospital statement. "When Vilma recognized my name, it really flowed into the fact that I was one of those babies. I have completed the loop and I take care of the babies with the nurse who took care of me.
Wong said she was also shocked, "but glad to know that I took care of him almost 30 years ago and now he is a resident in pediatrics at the same population that he was part of His birth.
After finding Wong, he immediately sent a message to his parents. His father, David Seminatore, a retired police officer from San Jose, then unearthed an old picture of Wong holding his little boy at the NICU.
The hospital shared the photo and the story of their reunion on Facebook, where it was shared more than 4,000 times.
Wong, who has been a nurse at Packard Children for 32 years, told Mercury News that she did not intend to retire anytime soon.
"Although it's a very demanding profession, being a nurse at the NICU is also very rewarding," said Wong. "I consider myself very lucky to be in a job that I love and to make a difference in someone's life."
Copyright 2018 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.
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