Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford celebrated a different type of graduate this June.
Rather than high school or college, four-month-old Zahraliz Francis Angueira "graduated" from Saint Francis' neonatal intensive care unit Thursday. She was finally discharged after a trying 128-day stay at the NICU.
The baby girl was born at just 22 weeks old, and was the hospital's smallest baby ever, at just 12.4 ounces.
Her mother, Neyshaliz Angueira, was admitted to Saint Francis in February for symptoms of preterm labor. After she contracted a respiratory virus two days into her stay at the hospital, Neyshaliz Angueira was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit.
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Neyshaliz Angueira gave birth at 1 a.m. on Feb. 22, just four days after entering the ICU.
The infant was at a high risk for major complications and had to undergo more than four months of care in the NICU.
Today, Zahraliz Angueira has come a long way, now weighing in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces.
The Saint Francis staff held an emotional send-off Thursday to "graduate" Zahraliz Angueira from the NICU.
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“I just want to share with everyone how caring the people I met at Saint Francis were,” Neyshaliz Angueira said. “I am so grateful for the kindness and support that was given to us."
