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It was the hospital’s annual reunion for families whose children had spent time at the NICU.
The first months of Victoria Torna’s life were unexpected.
The now 1-year-old girl came into the world at 24 weeks. She was a 3-pound premature baby who fit into the palm of a hand.
Victoria battled in the neonatal intensive care unit of Golisano Childrens Hospital of Southwest Florida for four months. And then she was released.
During that time, her mother, 27-year-old Yahayda Fernandez, and her family held a vigil around the clock for Victoria. They befriended nurses and waited for the baby to grow stronger.
On Saturday, the Cape Coral family reunited with some of the hospital helpers that encouraged the family along during an ominous time. It was the hospital’s annual reunion for families whose children had spent time at the NICU. It was also the first time the hospital partnered with the March of Dimes March for Babies walk and held the reunion at Centennial Park in Fort Myers. In previous years it’s been held at Golisano’s atrium.
The nurses at the NICU helped Fernandez get through it, she said.
Victoria, dressed as a mermaid in a stroller decorated to look like the sea, smiled and was passed around between family members who call her a “miracle.” She uses a feeding tube now but has made many strides, Fernandez said.
“She just does everything like a normal baby,” Fernandez said.
The milestones show Fernandez that Victoria is progressing.
Dr. William Liu, a neonatologist at the hospital, has worked there since 1985. An educated estimate by Liu is that he’s probably cared for anywhere between 15,000 and 16,000 babies in the more than 30 years at the hospital.
At the park, people stopped Liu to say hi to him and show them the progress their children made.
Nancy Vossler-LaPorta, director of Golisano’s NICU, said the goal is to get any babies born early home by their due date, but in her time there, at least two kids have celebrated their first birthdays in the NICU.
Carolina Ferrer, a licensed clinical social worker at the hospital, has been on both sides. Her water broke two-and-a-half weeks ahead of schedule when she was part of the first team of staff at the hospital during Hurricane Irma in September.
“I think the compassion just took hold,” Ferrer said.
It’s that compassion and effort of staff that led the Williamses to embark on a drive from Ocala for the reunion Saturday.
Ariah Williams, who is now 21 months, was born at 25 weeks. She weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces. Her twin sister, Autumn, died eight days after birth.
The family spent six months at Golisano’s NICU.
“It’s kind of like seeing your family you haven’t seen in a very long time,” said Starsun Williams, Ariah’s mother.
“It’s kind of emotional, too,” her husband Trevis Williams added.
Like the Fernandez family, each of Ariah’s milestones is a cause for celebration.

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