A premature baby who was taken away from her parents has found a new home -- all thanks to a nurse at the hospital where the little girl spent five months without a single visitor.
Gisele Smith, as she is now known, was born premature in 2016 at Franciscan Children’s, a hospital in Boston. Weighing less than two pounds, she needed specialized care including a feeding tube.
“She was getting fed about 16 hours a day through her feeding tube and it was overnight while she was sleeping ,” Liz Smith, the pediatric nurse who ended up adopting Gisele, told CTV News Channel on Monday.
Smith’s birth mother had used drugs and was apparently unable to care for her new daughter, who ended up in the custody of the state.
Nurses at Franciscan Children’s watched as Smith began to recover and grow -- all without receiving a single visitor. Some nurses attempted to play matchmaker between the girl and Liz.
Liz had been trying unsuccessfully to start a family. She wasn’t sure adoption was a path she wanted to go down -- but a bout of serendipity changed her mind.
“She was in a stroller with one of the nurses and I asked: ‘Who is that sweet little angel?’ and they said: ‘This is Gisele’ and from that moment on…I didn’t look back,” Liz said.
The nurse began the fostering process the next day and was granted permission to adopt her last October.
“She was at such a critical point in development,” Liz said. “All the providers on her care team really wanted her to get into a medical foster home as soon as possible.”
Liz said Gisele still requires a feeding tube for much of her nutrition, but is otherwise in good health.
She hopes her story inspires those starting a family to consider adoption.
“I strongly encourage it,” Liz said. “There are so many children like Gisele that need a loving fostering and adoptive home. It can transform not only the child’s life, but also (their own).”
