“Most of us went in to this field because truly babies are the most miraculous creatures in the world.”
By Dave Andrusko
“Probably the size of my hand, just tiny,” said Sandy Fournier, the primary nurse for Maine’s tiniest baby ever to survive. “Eyes fused like a kitten.”
Todaym Winner was born at 22 weeks gestation and weighed just over one pound, WMTW anchor Meghan Torjussen explained. “Oh, she was so fun. Of course, she was tiny,” Fournier said.
Incredibly, Fournier has been a NICU nurse at Maine Medical Center for 46 years! “In that time, so much has changed in medical care,” Torjussen said.
“When I first started, we wouldn’t save babies if they were under 750 grams and didn’t cry,” Fournier said softly. “It’s wonderful to be able to see the babies that survive now.”
Of course starting off that premature and that small could mean future problems such as neurological issues and vision impairment.
But little Todaym has “already defied the odds — even doctors admit science can’t explain it all,” Torjussen said.
Neonatologist Dr. Alan Picarillo was her doctor and perhaps put it best:
“Most of us went into this field because truly babies are the most miraculous creatures in the world.”