2011 Imagine Award Honoree Estela and Luis Ramirez

Estela and Luis experienced a roller coaster of emotions when their twins were born early—at 27 weeks’ gestation—and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The NICU referred the family to CHiP when the babies were born. During their lengthy hospital stay, Estela worked with her CHIP nurse to learn how to provide breast milk for the babies during that entire time, but was breastfeeding them both by the time they came home.

Both boys had medical complications that required frequent monitoring and several surgeries, so Estela and Luis had to balance a full schedule of appointments with various medical specialists.

Their CHiP team assisted them with coordination, scheduling, transportation, and language interpretation. With the help and support of their bilingual CHiP worker, they developed the confidence and competence to successfully care for their babies at home.

The CHiP team kept frequent tabs on Billy’s and Luis’s development and shared those screening results with other agencies so that care could be coordinated. Estela and Luis worked with their team on feeding strategies, developmental stimulation, and home safety guidelines.

Now, at two and a half, the boys are thriving. Their patient and courageous parents, working in partnership with each other as well as with CHiP, have raised their two fragile preemies to become active and healthy toddlers.