Some moments in life stay with you forever. Moments that make you stop, reflect, and truly realize how far you’ve come. This past Friday was one of those moments for me.

LaLa and I had the opportunity to deliver 60 Mother’s Day gift bags to moms currently in the NICU at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. The same NICU where I spent the first four months of my life nearly 37 years ago.

For most of my life, I knew my story.  I knew I was born four months premature weighing just 1 pound 4.5 ounces. I knew doctors did not believe I would survive. I knew I spent months in the NICU fighting for my life connected to tubes, wires, monitors, and machines. I knew my parents lived in fear every single day wondering if I would make it.

But despite hearing that story my entire life, nothing could have prepared me for walking back into that NICU as an adult.

The second I stepped onto the unit, emotions hit me in a way I was not expecting. Seeing babies as tiny as I once was made everything suddenly feel so real in a completely different way. Looking around at those tiny babies fighting so hard to survive immediately put into perspective what my parents must have gone through nearly four decades ago.

As I walked through the NICU, I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother having to leave me there every single night and go home without her baby in her arms. I thought about the fear, uncertainty, helplessness, and emotional exhaustion my parents must have carried every day not knowing what would happen next.

As a baby, my life began with a fight.

I spent the first four months of my life inside that hospital enduring surgeries, procedures, setbacks, and constant monitoring. Every ounce mattered. Every good day mattered. Every small milestone mattered. While most parents were bringing home newborn photos and adjusting to life with their baby, my parents were learning medical terminology, listening to machines beep, and praying their daughter would survive.

Walking back into that environment nearly 37 years later was overwhelming in ways I cannot fully explain.

One of the most emotional moments of the day was reuniting with one of the nurses who helped care for me while I was fighting for my life in the NICU nearly 37 years ago. She even remembered exactly where my NICU bed was located all those years later. Standing there listening to her talk about that time made everything suddenly feel incredibly real and brought so many emotions to the surface. It truly put into perspective everything my parents, the nurses, and the NICU team went through during those first few months of my life.

The nurses and NICU staff were incredibly thankful for the Mother’s Day gift bags, and LaLa and I truly felt so appreciated being able to give back to the same hospital and team that helped save my life nearly four decades ago.

The hospital’s NICU staff and lactation team also shared how meaningful and important these donations were for families currently navigating the NICU journey. They spoke about the importance of breastfeeding and pumping for premature babies, especially NICU infants who often face additional medical and developmental challenges.  Hearing firsthand how much these resources could help mothers during such an overwhelming and emotional time made the experience even more meaningful for us.

The purpose behind this initiative was simple: we wanted NICU moms to know they are not alone and there is hope.

Mother’s Day can already be emotional, but spending it in a NICU while your baby fights to grow stronger is something most people cannot fully understand unless they have lived it. These mothers are sitting beside incubators instead of celebrating at home with their babies in their arms. They are carrying fear, exhaustion, uncertainty, and hope all at the same time.

Sometimes even the smallest gesture can remind someone that people care.

The Mother’s Day gift bags were made possible with support from Zomee, Itzy Ritzy, Owlet, and Born Into Motherhood.

Leaving the hospital that day, I felt emotional, grateful, reflective, and honestly changed. For years, I understood my story from the perspective of survival. But this experience allowed me to see it through the eyes of my parents — and that hit me harder than I ever expected.

It also reminded me how many people helped save my life. The doctors. The nurses. The NICU staff. And my mom, who fought beside me every single day long before I was ever strong enough to fight for myself.

To every NICU parent currently walking this journey: keep believing in your little miracle. I am living proof that even the tiniest babies can grow into fighters capable of overcoming incredible odds.

Special Thank you to News 12 for capturing this special moment seen HERE.