After 38 years, a man who was born prematurely at only 27 weeks gestation has been reunited with the nurses who helped him survive his early birth.
Zak Stevens, a police officer, was born at only 27 weeks gestation at Peterborough City Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Now, 38 years later, Zak has returned to the hospital with his parents, Lian and Mark, to express their gratitude to the staff working there.
Zak, who weighed just over a kilogram when he was born and who is now a father of two, was surprised to be greeted at the NICU by three of the nurses – Sharon Holmshaw, Georgina Mason, and Margaret Lewis – who had cared for him.
Katie Barke, neonatal intensive care ward manager, said “It was an honour to be able to share such precious memories and milestones. There was a real sense that Zak’s journey had come full circle, and it was wonderful to see how well he has thrived after a premature start to life”.
Zak and his parents also presented the NICU with a donation of £550, which they had raised, to be used for improving the facilities there for the parents of other premature and unwell babies.
Lian, Zak’s mum, said “We wanted to share our heartfelt thanks to all the incredible nurses. It was so special to see them again”.
“We are forever grateful for the care, compassion, and dedication they gave us. It means the world to us as a family and will always hold a special place in our hearts”, she said.
Lian also found a poem that she wrote about the experience of Zak’s birth, along with some photographs, in a “memory book” kept on the ward.
The survival rate for premature babies like Zak has increased drastically over time
In the decades following Zak’s birth, the likelihood of premature babies surviving after being born early has greatly increased.
A 2008 study looking at survival rates for a neonatal intensive care unit in London found that neonatal survival rates at 22 and 23 weeks gestation had improved over time. In 1981-85, no babies who were born at these gestational ages survived to discharge. However, by 1986-90, 19% did and this increased to 54% in the period 1996-2000.
In the decade to 2019 alone, the survival rate for extremely premature babies born at 23 weeks doubled, prompting new guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) that enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks gestation.
Research published in November 2023 by academics at the University of Leicester and Imperial College London found a total of 261 babies born alive at 22 and 23 weeks, before the abortion limit, who survived to discharge from hospital in 2020 and 2021.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said: “This wonderful story reminds us that many babies who are born prematurely go on to live healthy and fulfilling lives, and are often able to give back to the institutions that supported them as premmies. Baby Zak has grown up to have a fulfilling life, and serves as an inspiring example of the fullness of life that premature babies can have”.
