A Halloween to Remember: Toddler Meets Baby Brother for First Time in Northern Westchester Hospital NICU
Tanya Lopez is a passionate community journalist with a degree in Sociology from SUNY Purchase. With over six years of reporting experience at local outlets, she has dedicated her career to spotlighting grassroots organizations and community initiatives in Tarrytown.
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The family celebrated the special occasion dressed in Winnie-the-Pooh-themed costumes. (Photo courtesy of Northwell Health) For most 2-year-olds, Halloween means costumes, candy and trick-or-treating. But for Luca, this Halloween brought something far sweeter: the chance to meet his newborn baby brother for the very first time. On October 30, Luca and his parents visited the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Northern Westchester Hospital, where his little brother, Nicholas, spent the first three weeks of his life after arriving seven weeks premature. During that time he was too fragile for visitors outside of his parents, who themselves couldn t hold him for nearly six days. But by Halloween he was finally strong enough to come off some of the medical equipment protecting his delicate lungs and development. To celebrate this unforgettable milestone, the family dressed in adorable Winnie-the-Pooh-themed costumes — complete with Luca as Tigger, Jennifer as Piglet, and baby Nicholas