A husband and wife returned to the spot in Metro Detroit where their love story and lives had started.
It all began with a pair of moms brought together by the stress of both of their babies being in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit.
Those babies are all grown up and married, which is a big moment for the mothers.
“If you would’ve saw me as a parent 28 years ago, there was fear, doubt, helplessness, hopelessness, and now there’s joy,” said mother of NICU baby Sherry Krambeck.
The joy Krambeck felt was hard to put into words as her daughter Rachel was born prematurely. She came into the world at Corwell Health at just three pounds.
“She was my welcoming committee; she basically showed me the ropes, and she welcomed me,” Krambeck said.
The woman Krambeck spoke kindly about was Audra Sackey, another NICU mother who had given birth 10 days earlier to a boy named Hayden.
“My son, after the third day, they came in and said I think you need to make arrangements,” said Sackey. “Me being a young mom, I said, ‘Arrangements for what?’”
Hayden and Rachel beat the odds and have done a lot more in the years since, including getting engaged and married in September.
On Tuesday (Oct. 29), they returned to the NICU that welcomed them as husband and wife.
The newlyweds may not remember those early days, but their moms certainly do.
“It’s been a long journey, but this is where it started,” Sackey said.
The newlyweds were back where it had started, except this time, offering much hope that the most challenging chapters could end in happier times.
“I just want you to know on your worst days, when there’s no hope, when you feel like you’re in despair sad, just know there is hope and people you can talk to,” Krambeck said.
Krambeck used her experience and went back to school to become a nurse.
Sackey is a nurse who cares for and waits for patients in Michigan.
